


For You (I'll go the extra mile)

by ohsehunseoul



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Ft. Vivi and Kandy, M/M, Minghao makes an appearance, Other EXO member mentions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-07-18 14:45:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 26,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16120676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohsehunseoul/pseuds/ohsehunseoul
Summary: From gaming partners to lovers, Zitao and Sehun combat their distance through constant video calls and chatting on the phone. Long-distance works for them, but the thought of meeting wasn't out of the question for the couple.When Zitao proposes the idea of meeting in China to Sehun, he's more than excited. Sehun's only worry is if his shy personality will put off his outgoing boyfriend.





	For You (I'll go the extra mile)

**Author's Note:**

> This work was written for exohousewarming! I loved the prompt and I hope that I did it justice. Thank you to the prompter; I really enjoyed writing something that wasn't angsty for once. I actually had the opportunity to go to China in the duration I was reading this, so I could use some of my experiences there. Thank you again for the wonderful prompt!
> 
> Prompt and fest information:  
> exohousewarming prompt #234  
> Zitao and Sehun have been dating online for almost 6 months, and now they're finally going to meet face to face

TWO WEEKS AGO

Sehun sighed in relief once he typed the final words of his thesis. Finally, he would be done with the eighty-paged document that haunted him even in his dreams. Now, his fate rested in the hands of his music composition professor, Mr. Kim, to let him know if he passed or not.

Sehun replaced the ink cartridge in his printer and set the document to print, cringing at the amount of paper that had to be used. As he was tucking away the papers safely in a lime-green folder, his phone rang.

Sehun smiled when he saw who was attempting to video chat him. He quickly fixed his hair that was sticking up in all sort of directions due to him pulling it in frustration and picked up the call.

“Hey there.” A familiar face said, smile radiating through the phone screen.

“Hi, Zitao. How was work?” Sehun asked, sitting up from his desk chair to move onto his bed.

“It was okay. I’m just glad to be free for now.” Zitao answered. He worked most of the week as an elementary school teacher, his already dark circles more prominent on the days he did so.  The other time was spent working independently as a music producer. “I actually called about something else, though.”

“Oh?” Sehun questioned, tilting his head. “That doesn’t sound good. Did I do something wrong?”

“No!” Zitao held his hand up in defense, “Of course you didn’t. It’s good news if it goes the way I planned, of course.” Zitao eyed Sehun through the phone screen.

“Go on…” Sehun was apprehensive to hear what Zitao had to say.

“We’ve almost been together for half a year and, well,” Zitao smiled broadly, “What would you think about meeting?”

“Meeting?” Sehun questioned. “I would love to but how? Money is tight and you’re working.” Sehun frowned.

“Actually,” Zitao said, “It’s officially vacation for the kids, so I don’t have to do that. My other stuff is on my own time.”

“That’s right,” Sehun thought. Most schools and colleges got out that day, but Sehun’s professor gave them an extra day to turn in his thesis, as he had to cancel class the day they were to turn their topics, “Money still poses an issue, though.”

“Think again.” Zitao grinned. “Remember that fashion week in Japan I was going to? It was cancelled, so they will compensate for another flight. I want you to have the ticket and come here.”

“Tao, I can’t take your ticket.” Sehun shook his head. “That wouldn’t be right of me.”

“Please?” Zitao jutted out his bottom lip. “The flight from Seoul to Qingdao is cheaper than my flight was to Tokyo, so I will still have credit.” Zitao looked at Sehun. “Hey, think of it as a graduation gift. You can’t refuse that, can you?”

Sehun clicked his tongue. He knew that meeting Zitao could be a one in a lifetime opportunity. It was also important to him because meeting his boyfriend would help direct where the future would take him. He could always pay Zitao back or send him to Seoul one day to make himself feel better. “Okay, I’ll go.” Sehun finally said. Zitao’s face lit up and he clapped in excitement. “But I’ll get you back.”

“How so?” Zitao quirked a brow.

“I have to figure that out.” Sehun smiled. He already had something planned to send him on their anniversary, so he made a mental note to bring it with him. “When do you want me to go?”

He tried to hide his excitement, but he figured it was obvious to the boy on the other line. While they had only been dating for six months, they had ‘met’ over a year ago as gaming partners on Jeunggi. Playing video games escalated to phone calls, which led to video calls, and ultimately developing feelings for each other.

“As soon as you can. I can’t wait to meet you and everyone else is excited too.” Zitao said, smile faltering when he saw Sehun’s slight frown. “Don’t worry, they will love you. What’s there not to love? You don’t need to be nervous.”

“I know,” Sehun sighed, “I know. I’m excited to meet you too.” Sehun held up a finger, indicating for Zitao to wait while he switched back to his desk chair. He went to his calendar on his computer to see when he should go.

“Let’s see, I turn in my thesis tomorrow. I’m not walking for graduation and my diploma won’t come in the mail for a few months. Then, Vivi has a vet appointment on the twenty-ninth… -“ Sehun stopped talking, “Vivi. What will I do about him while I’m gone?”

“I may or may not have had the idea of asking you to come here for some time now.” Zitao confessed. “I still had Chanyeol’s gamer tag from when he joined our game and I messaged him. We ended up talking on the phone and he said he would be more than happy to take care of Vivi.”

“Poor Vivi,” Sehun shook his head and laughed, “I hope Chanyeol will give him back to me. He and Baekhyun joke about stealing him too often.”

“He did mention something about calling Baekhyun after I asked him. Maybe you should put a tracker on your dog.” Zitao laughed at Sehun’s reaction. “I’m only kidding! He’ll give him back.”

“I’ll tell Jongdae to make sure to keep an eye on Chanyeol.” Sehun smiled.

 “Now that Vivi is taken care of, you said you were free after the twenty-ninth?” Zitao asked, brushing his dirty blonde hair out of his face. Sehun glanced back to the calendar and nodded.

“Great! How does the second sound? It would be a perfect New Year’s gift.” Zitao offered a boyish smile.

“That works for me.” Sehun beamed. “I really can’t believe it. I don’t think it’s sunk in that we’re really meeting.”

“Maybe it will after you officially have the ticket. I’ll transfer mine over and you can exchange it for yours.” Zitao stood up and turned the light on in his room. “I have so much to do in preparation for when you get here!”

“You don’t have to do anything extra; I’m nothing special. It’s not like I’m royalty.” Sehun tried to reassure Zitao.

“Sehun, you have known me long enough to know that everything I do is extra.” The sound of Zitao opening his bedroom door could be heard in the background of the call.

“That’s very true.” Sehun laughed.

“And, for the record,” Zitao gave a stern look through the phone’s camera, “You are special.”

PRESENT TIME

Sehun exited the plane and took in a deep breath. He couldn’t believe that his dreams of meeting Zitao were coming true. He was in the same country as Zitao, let alone the same province.

He used his mediocre Mandarin to help him get out of the terminal and to baggage claim. Once he was waiting for his bag, he pulled out his phone to message Zitao.

_1:22 pm_

_To: Tao_

_I landed :)_

 

_1:24 pm_

_From: Tao_

_Yay!! Im so glad you made it safely babe :)The Metro came late but I’ll be there soon. Just meet me at line 4 okay? I’m sorry that I’m not there right now_

 

_1:25 pm_

_To: Tao_

_It’s not your fault;I have to wait for my luggage anyway!_

Sehun put away his phone when he saw that luggage was starting to appear on the belt of the claim. There were a lot of people on his flight, but he was almost positive that he wouldn’t miss his baggage. When Sehun told Chanyeol about the final plan, his curly-haired best friend made him a fluorescent green luggage tag with a picture of them that was taken on Chanyeol’s birthday last year. They may have had a bit too much to drink at the time the photo was taken and looked horrible, but it was distinguishable nonetheless.

_“Why did you choose that one?” Sehun whined as Chanyeol proudly held up his homemade luggage tag._

_“If your face is on your luggage, then there is no doubt it’s yours, Sehun. Not just to you, but to everyone.” Chanyeol said matter-of-factly._

_“But why are you in it then?” Sehun questioned._

_“Because you love me, and you can look at it when you miss me.” Chanyeol grinned._

After being pushed to the side for the nth time, Sehun saw his luggage. He apologized profusely as he weaved through the impatient crowd and pulled his luggage off of the belt. He propped up the handle and looked for the sign for the platform.

After examining, what felt like, every sign, Sehun found the one indicating where the metro was. Sehun momentarily stopped and shrugged off his backpack to take out his phone and call Zitao.It seemed that the further into the station Sehun went, the worse the connection was. He grumbled to himself and attempted to send a text to Zitao. He rolled his eyes in frustration.

“Maybe right outside the metro will have better connection. It has to.” Sehun said to himself, pulling his backpack over his shoulder once more and making his way out of the airport.

He pulled out his phone from his pocket to check the connection when the screeching sounds of the metros halting could be heard just ahead of him. Walking further, he noticed that Line 3 was on his left, so he must have been close.

In one more attempt to try to connect with Zitao, Sehun unlocked his phone and began to worry when the one bar of connection was barely hanging on by a thread. He opened up his chat with Zitao and saw nothing, so he sent another message in hopes that it would go through. Just as he clicked send, he collided with someone walking in the opposite direction, the sudden movement causing his phone to fall out of his hand and glide across the ground.

“I am so sorry,” Sehun started, picking up his bag from the ground, “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“It’s not a problem. I wasn’t paying attention either.” The other individual said; the contents they were holding were also sprawled across the floor.

“Wait,” Sehun said, beginning to look up. At the same time, the stranger with the familiar voice also looked up, “Oh my God, Zitao!”

While still crouched on the ground, Zitao launched himself at Sehun, pulling him into a tight hug. It was probably ridiculous, two boys messily holding each other on the ground while their belongings were abandoned around them.

“I can’t believe it’s you, Sehun.” Zitao said in Korean, lips against Sehun’s neck as he spoke.

“This is real. It’s really real.” Sehun responded, feeling more comfortable speaking in his native tongue. Zitao slowly pulled away, keeping Sehun arm’s distance away with one hand on each of Sehun’s upper arms.

Zitao was even better looking in person, if that was possible. His hair was tousled in a way that was messy and neat at the same time. His designer winter jacket was unmistakably meant for him, as was the woody, yet floral, cologne he had on.

“This isn’t quite the way I thought our first-time meeting would be.” Zitao laughed and Sehun just about fell deeper in love when he could hear the melodic sound in person.

“I would say it’s typical for us.” Sehun chuckled, his voice was still riddled with nerves.

“Are you okay?” Zitao tilted his head slightly. “You’re shaking.”

“Yeah,” Sehun could feel his ears turn red from embarrassment, “Yeah, I’m just,” He sputtered, “You’re just, just wow.”

“I could say the same for you.” Zitao squeezed Sehun’s bicep. “You’re absolutely stunning.”

“Stop.” Sehun bowed his head, smiling to himself.

“You’re too cute.” Zitao stood up and extended a hand to Sehun. “I still can’t believe it. This is actually happening. Wait, I’m not dreaming, am I?”

Sehun took Zitao’s hand and stood up, collecting his bag along the way. “I can pinch you if you want.” He said.

“Maybe later.” Zitao grinned and paused. “Wait, I have something for you.” The older male kneeled once more to pick up his belongings. He held out a rabbit stuffed animal to Sehun that had been knocked out of his grasp. “I know it’s lame, but I had to.”

Sehun didn’t know he could smile anymore than he had been, but it was possible. “I love it, thank you.” He hooked his arm around the other’s neck with ease, considering they were nearly the same height.

“You’re welcome.” Zitao eyed Sehun. “Have you eaten?”

“Not yet.” Sehun shook his head.

“Great!” Zitao beamed. “I have the perfect place to take you. Let’s drop your things off at my place first.”

Sehun nodded to Zitao. “Okay. If it’s too inconvenient, I can take it with me.”

“Are you kidding me?” Zitao lightly elbowed Sehun. “You could never inconvenience me. Besides, I live in the city, so it’s not a problem.”

Zitao took the handle of Sehun’s luggage from his hand and started to walk back to the metro. He stopped momentarily when Sehun’s phone caught his eye. Zitao went to pick it up and handed it to Sehun.

“Don’t want to forget this, now do you?” Zitao asked, grinning.

“I completely forgot. I hope the screen isn’t too scraped up.” Sehun sighed, flipping the phone over in Zitao’s palm. Luckily for him, there were only minor scratches on the screen protector on his phone. The motion of flipping over the device caused his screen to light up, making Zitao laugh when he saw Sehun’s lock screen.

“You made your wallpaper me?” Zitao smiled.

“Uh, yeah.” Sehun had known Zitao for quite some time, but the other boy still managed to make him feel nervous. “How could I not? Besides, you’re pretty much the king of taking selcas.” Sehun declined telling the older that his home screen was Vivi. He wouldn’t dare say that Vivi meant just as much to him as Zitao did.

“That’s true.” Zitao winked. “Let’s take one together at some point.” Sehun took his phone from Zitao’s palm and put it in his jean pocket. “You’re mine too, you know.”

“Your what?” Sehun looked to the blonde.

“My wallpaper.” Zitao smiled broadly. “You don’t take many photos, but the one you sent of you in the leather jacket…oh man.” Zitao shook his head. “Anyway, let’s get going.”

The two continued walking to the proper line and Zitao reached for Sehun’s hand as they walked. Sehun looked to the other.

“What if people see?” Sehun questioned.

“So what?” Zitao glanced back. “I have to make sure everyone knows you’re mine, otherwise there is a one-hundred percent chance you would get hit on.”

Sehun laughed and laced his fingers with Zitao’s.

It felt right, being with the other. Sehun was excited about learning more about Zitao. While he had seen him through a screen, he never experienced seeing him in the flesh. Being able to see Zitao’s quirks, expressions, and personality would help him feel even closer to his boyfriend.

The duo boarded the crowded metro. Zitao expertly weaved through the haze of people, holding Sehun’s hand tightly across the way.

There were no seats left, so he opted for a spot near one of the windows. Sehun had never traveled out of the country, so the influx of people in the metro was rather intimidating. Zitao must have noticed, as he pulled Sehun in front of him to stand with his back against the window and Zitao firmly placing himself in front of Sehun. He used the railing from the luggage rack above Sehun to keep his balance after placing the suitcase above him.

“It gets crazy around here.” Zitao watched the doors close. “Be careful, there’s going to be a jolt when we start moving.”

Before Sehun could answer, the metro geared up, causing a shift in his weight on the ground. Luckily, Zitao had faster reflexes, reaching for Sehun’s waist with his free hand to keep him from falling.

“I see what you mean.” Sehun laughed. “Chanyeol likes to drive us everywhere, so I haven’t been on public transportation too many times.”

“Don’t worry, I got you.” Zitao assured Sehun, keeping his hand protectively around the younger.

Four stops later, and they were in the city. Zitao retrieved the suitcase and the two made their way out of the metro.

“I live just a couple of minutes from here.” Zitao said, pulling up the handle of the suitcase. “It’s really convenient, especially since driving on the streets is pretty crazy. There are a few places I want to take you to where we will take my car, though.”

“Oh,” Sehun turned to Zitao, slowing his pace as he talked, “You have a car? I didn’t know that.”

“I just sold my other car and bought a brand new one last week, so that makes sense that I didn’t tell you.” Zitao bumped shoulders with Sehun. “Besides, my old car was nothing to brag about.”

Sehun made a sound of understanding and they continued on their journey. Sehun concluded that there was much, much more about Zitao he didn’t know.

When they were walking toward a skyrise buildig, Sehun figured they would turn at some point to get to his apartment. He looked at Zitao out of the corner of his eye.

“Here we are.” Zitao said, handing Sehun’s bag to him so he could retrieve his keys from his back pocket. Zitao led Sehun into the building and they were immediately greeted by a lavish lobby, similar to that of a five star hotel. Sehun stared in awe as they made their way to the elevator. Zitao pressed the button to his floor and they went up. Once they made it to the level, Zitao let Sehun out and eventually stopped in front of a door reading ‘0403’ and put his key into the lock. He opened the door and Sehun was dumbfounded by the appearance of the apartment. Everything was pristine, including the streak-free windows that made Sehun feel like he could just walk through them. His apartment didn’t hold a candle to Zitao’s and suddenly he felt as if he wasn’t doing enough with his life.

“Wow.” Was all Sehun could mutter.

“It’s nothing special.” Zitao stood by his side.

“I’m glad you didn’t come to my place.” Sehun looked at Zitao. “You would have broken up with me on the spot.”

Zitao clicked his tongue. “I would never. Besides, you just finished your degree. I’ve had a year on you working in the field.” Zitao comforted Sehun by rubbing his back. Zitao always knew what to say to make Sehun feel better.

“Where should I put my things?” Sehun asked, looking from his bag to his boyfriend.

“You can put it in my room.” Zitao lightly held onto Sehun’s wrist to lead him to his room. He opened the door to an equally pristine room. The only difference were the two mahogany shelves against the left wall filled with notebooks and CDs.

Sehun looked at Zitao and was given a nod of encouragement. The younger neatly placed his things in the corner of the room.

“You could have put your stuff on my bed, you know.” Zitao chuckled. He sat on the edge of his bed, with Sehun following suit and sitting gingerly on the mattress. Sehun leaned his head on Zitao’s shoulder and sighed.

“You okay?” Zitao asked.

“Very.” Sehun smiled to himself. “I’m just happy. I have barely been here, but I’m already in love with the city.” With you, he desperately wanted to say.

“You don’t even know how happy I am right now.” Zitao rubbed Sehun’s thigh in a comforting manner. “Sehun, I really do l-“ He was cut off by a loud tone from his phone. “Sorry, hold on.”

Zitao pulled out his phone and read the message he got. “My friend just texted me. He’s in town and he’s one of the people I really wanted you to meet. He said that the guys want to get together tonight and to bring you because apparently you’re,” Zitao held up air quotes, “All that I talk about.”

Sehun did want to meet Zitao’s friends. He was just nervous that he would come off as strange to them, considering he’s a relatively quiet person, especially with people he didn’t know. Chanyeol usually did enough talking for the both of them.

“Sure, sounds great.” Sehun said. If he was serious about having a future with the Qingdao resident, he had to know the people most important to him.

“Okay, let’s go eat and I’ll show you around the city for a little.” Zitao patted Sehun’s knee. “We can meet them later tonight.”

“I can’t wait to try authentic Chinese food.” Sehun stood up, extending both hands to pull Zitao up.

“And I know just the place.” Zitao grinned.

…

Zitao brought Sehun to a hole in the wall restaurant, assuring that they had the best seafood.

“Qingdao is notorious for their seafood.” Zitao said as he held the door open. “Especially the clams.”

Immediately upon entering the restaurant, Zitao was greeted by a middle-aged man and woman, them and Zitao both speaking in rapid Mandarin, that Sehun struggled to decipher.

Regardless, he politely, yet stoically, stood next to Zitao as he spoke. Zitao ushered to Sehun.

“This is Sehun. He came to visit me from Seoul.” Sehun was pretty sure Zitao said to the man and woman.

Sehun tried his best to speak in Mandarin. “Hello, nice to meet you.”

Zitao put a hand on the small of Sehun’s back and continued to speak to the couple.

From what Sehun gathered, the man and woman were a married couple that owned the restaurant. Apparently, his parents had taken him there when he was younger, so they were quite familiar with him. What shocked Sehun was when he heard the word ‘boyfriend’ come from Zitao’s lips. Sehun looked to him and to the couple. Instead of a rash response, they smiled at the younger.

“Treat him well.” The woman said to Zitao. “He is very handsome.”

“He is, isn’t he?” Zitao gave a fond look to Sehun. “Pretty lucky, aren’t I?”

“I’d say both of you are.” The woman, Mrs. Chen, said to Zitao. She turned her attention to Sehun. “I tried to set Zitao up with my daughter when he was younger. After one date, she came up to me and told me he wasn’t her type. I was disappointed until I realized what she meant.” She looked to Zitao and back to Sehun. “He models, you know. It makes sense.”

Sehun could feel Zitao tense up in embarrassment. He attempted to process the words she said and hoped that everything was accurate. She either called him a model or a criminal and Sehun was hoping it was the former. “Do you have anymore interesting stories of Zitao as a child?” He said to Mrs. Chen, who grinned at him.

“On a second thought,” Zitao gave an uncomfortable laugh, “We have plans, so we really need to hurry.” He walked behind Sehun, pushing him by the shoulder blades to a seat near the window.

“You look sweet on the outside, but I have reason to believe there’s a little mischief hidden in there.”  Zitao downcast his eyes on Sehun.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Sehun innocently smiled, taking the seat across from where Zitao was sitting.

Zitao shook his head and opened up the menu. Sehun did the same, squinting to see the small print underneath the images of the food the restaurant had.

After a few minutes of idle searching, Zitao closed his menu. “Need help choosing?” He asked.

“I thought you would never ask.” Sehun put down his menu. “Can you order for me?”

Zitao laughed. “Of course. Is there anything you absolutely refuse?”

“Not really.” Sehun shrugged.

“Very well then.” Zitao signaled that they were ready.

Zitao ordered two different kinds of teas, as well as clams, noodles, and pork buns.

“You think we can finish all of that?” Sehun questioned once the waiter walked away.

“You underestimate me, Oh Sehun.” Zitao grinned.

They ate their meal together and Sehun marveled at how good the food was.

“I told you.” Zitao said, opening up a clam. “You’ll never want to leave now.”

“Next time, come to Seoul. Once you try our food, you won’t want to leave either.” Sehun bit into a pork bun.

The duo finished their meal and Mr. Chen came over.

“Alright, Zitao. You two are all set. We hope to see you both again soon.” He said.

“What about the bill?” Sehun asked Mr. Chen, money already in his hand.

“It’s on us.” He turned to Zitao. “Tao here took care of our grandson when we had to make an unexpected trip out of the city. He ended up staying overnight after working all day and didn’t complain once. It’s the least we could do.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.” Zitao got up and respectfully bowed.

“Of course.” Mr Chen gave a nod approval and went back to the other tables.

Sehun and Zitao exited the restaurant and Sehun hooked his arm with Zitao’s as they walked.

“You’re a really good person.” Sehun said, shattering the silence.

“Nah,” Zitao looked up to the sky, “It wasn’t a big deal.”

“Maybe it didn’t seem like it to you, but it meant a lot to the Chens.” Sehun smiled.

They continued walking further into the city ad Zitao pointed out the stores they passed.

“There are a lot of designers with stores in this area.” Zitao said, nodding to various buildings. “I come over here a lot.”

“That makes sense. You have expensive taste.” Sehun responded.

“I guess I do.” Zitao laughed. He pulled on Sehun’s arm to lead him elsewhere. “Come this way, there’s a park around here I used to go to all of the time.”

Sehun was happy that Zitao wanted to show him the places he grew up going to. He seemed most excited when he showed off a new location, watching Sehun’s expression as he did so.

Zitao led them through the park, stopping at a pair of swings to brush the snow off of the seats. He let go of Sehun’s hand and indicated for him to sit down on one. Zitao sat on the other they both looked around the park.

“Do you think you can show me more of the places you went to as a kid?” Sehun turned to Zitao. He used the toe of his boot to swing himself ever so gently.

“Really? You want to see all of that?” Zitao asked and Sehun nodded. “Wow. No one has ever asked me to do that. Usually, people have no interest in that kind of thing.”

“Well, I definitely do. I like to see what makes you happy. The expression on your face when you look around wherever we go is just about the sweetest thing.” Sehun honestly said.

Zitao stayed silent for a few moments, twisting the swing chain from side to side. “You drive me crazy. You can’t be like this.” He finally said.

“Like what?” Sehun questioned, fearful he said something wrong.

“Just, everything. Zitao stood up from his swing and kneeled in front of the swing Sehun was sitting on. “You hang on every word I say, making sure that you didn’t miss a thing. You care about my life and want to know everything about me. You have genuine interest in learning more about me. It’s just nothing I have experienced before.”’

“Of course I do. I came here because of you. I’ve heard some of your stories over the phone, but there’s nothing like physically going with you and hearing about you in person. It makes me feel like I get to experience more of your life with you.” Sehun leaned forward and cupped Zitao’s cheeks.

A curt and deliberate cough was heard to the side of them. Both of the boys looked to see a woman with her arms crossed and tapping her foot. She said something in Mandarin that Sehun couldn’t really understand, earning an apology from Zitao. The older quickly pulled Sehun up and they walked away.

“What did she say?” Sehun asked.

“Don’t worry about it, babe.” Zitao answered, glancing back at the park. “Let’s go pick up some things from the convenience store and then we can go over to my friend’s house.”

Sehun opted to stay silent. As they were walking, Sehun was able to take in just how cold it was in Qingdao. He used his free hand to tug his jacket zipper up to his chin.

“It’s so much colder here than in Seoul.” Sehun said, watching his breath smoke out in front of him.

“Oh no.” Zitao looked to Sehun. “I didn’t even think about that because I’m so used to the weather. Are you going to be alright?”

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll adapt quickly.” Sehun tried to reassure Zitao.

“I’m not convinced. Tomorrow, you can borrow as many jackets as you want.” Zitao frowned.

“I’ll look like a marshmallow with incredible fashion taste.” Sehun laughed. They turned the corner and the convenience store was a few blocks in front of them.

“It just so happens that I love marshmallows.” Zitao responded. He focused his attention back on the path. “What do you drink?”

“I’m not really too picky when it comes to that; I’ll usually drink what’s on hand.” Sehun slowed his pace once they neared the store. He held up a finger. “Except for vodka. I’m pretty sure Chanyeol was trying to poison me last time we drank together and Jongdae encouraged it.”

Zitao let out a loud laugh. “Your roommates sound so interesting. All of your friends do, actually.”

“Maybe you can meet them sometime soon.” Sehun quickly looked to Zitao and to the storefront. He opened the door and let Zitao inside before him.

“I’d like that.” Zitao answered before he scavenged the shelves for the items he wanted. Sehun tried to keep up, but the older seemed to have it under control. Sehun knew that he went out a lot, especially with his friends, so it was expected that he had a plan set in mind.

Zitao finished grabbing everything he wanted and put up the items to be rung up.

“One more thing.” Zitao left to grab something else when the cashier was just finishing up. During that time, Sehun quickly paid for the items Zitao had and smugly smiled to himself.

Zitao came back and put two beers up. “I owed a buddy of mine two of these.”

The clerk rang them up. “30 yuan.” He said.

“The other items too. There is no way that was all that cheap.” Zitao looked at the bagged items on the counter.

The clerk motioned to Sehun. “He paid.”

“What?” Zitao looked at Sehun. “Did you really?”

“Yes, don’t worry about it.” Sehun simply said. “I told you that I would get you back.” He smiled.

Zitao shook his head, pulling the money out to pay for the beers. “You’re something else.”

They each took two bags and walked back to Zitao’s apartment.

“Normally, I would suggest the metro,” Zitao started, momentarily setting down the groceries on the counter, “But he has valet parking, so it will be easier to just take my car.”

“Okay, that’s fine.” Sehun answered. He was slightly concerned that they weren’t taking public transportation, as they had planned to drink. If they had to, they could take the metro back and get Zitao’s car tomorrow, Sehun figured.

Zitao reached for his car keys and they went to the elevator, descending into the parking garage to get to his vehicle. Upon entering the garage, Sehun was shocked by how many luxury cars there were. There were even individual parking garages for some of the apartments. Zitao led Sehun to the parking garage in the far left corner.

“Holy shit.” Sehun accidentally said when he saw Zitao’s car. “I knew you liked sports cars, but this is crazy.” Sehun truly underestimated just how well Zitao’s music career was going. Zitao never talked about it in great detail; usually telling Sehun he composed work for a musician and nothing more. Not only that, but Sehun also assumed that his modeling career was going well, especially considering that a company in Japan wanted him to walk for their clothing line.

Zitao shrugged. “It’s something I have wanted for a long time. Since I’ve been so busy with work, I haven’t gotten too much of a chance to drive it.” Zitao smirked. “I also don’t think that driving a Lamborghini to an elementary school is the best idea.”

“You sure you want me to get in there?” Sehun asked. “I feel like I need to sterilize myself, so I don’t ruin anything.”

 The older laughed. “You’re not going to ruin anything.” He took the bags from Sehun and put them in the trunk.

Sehun cautiously entered the car, looking to Zitao when he started the ignition.

“Want to see how quickly this thing can go?” Zitao grinned.

“Yes.” Sehun answered a bit too quickly. “This car is a dream.”

Zitao shifted gears and the two went on their way.

Naturally, Zitao’s friend’s apartment was equally as nice. Sehun began to feel nervous as they went down the corridor to the apartment.

“They’re really nice.” Zitao eyed Sehun’s expression. “Just be yourself.”

They stopped in front of apartment ‘1214’ and Zitao knocked. Almost immediately, the door swung open to reveal a raven-haired male. His hair was neatly parted to the side, with wisps of hair resting just above his browbone. When he saw Zitao, he gave him a dimpled smile.

“Tao!” He said. “I’m happy to see you!”

“You just saw me three days ago.” Zitao responded.

“Let me help you with those.” The stranger reached for both of the bags and ignored Zitao’s comment. He then looked to Sehun. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t even paying attention. You must be Sehun, right?” He asked.

“That’s me.” Sehun bowed. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You as well. I’m finally meeting the infamous Sehun. I’m Yixing.” He said.

“You’re Yixing? I can finally put a face to the name.” Sehun smiled. “I’ve heard good things, mostly.” He joked.

Zitao grinned at Sehun’s comment.

“I’m a little worried about what he’s told you.” Yixing said to Sehun and turned to Zitao. “He’s cute.”

“I know.” Zitao looked to Sehun. “Let us in, though. We brought a lot of stuff.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Yixing moved aside to let Zitao and Sehun through. “The guys are in the living room.”

They put the items on the kitchen counter and Sehun carefully took out the bottles of alcohol.

He hadn’t talked to him much, but Yixing seemed very kind. He gave off a vibe as if he had known him for years. He was Zitao’s childhood friend, so Sehun wanted to make a good impression.

When they finished putting everything in their respective spots, Zitao approached Sehun and squeezed his shoulder. “Let’s get introductions out of the way and then we can drink.”

Sehun took in a deep breath and nodded at Zitao. He followed the blonde through a short hallway that led to a living room. Yixing was back to talking with their friends, sitting next to a tall brunette. Three more of Zitao’s friends were sitting on the couch playing a video game on the television.

“Hey, guys.” Zitao said, gaining the attention of all five males. “This is Sehun.” Zitao put a hand on Sehun’s back. “Thank him for everything we brought because someone,” Zitao playfully glared at his boyfriend, “Decided to pay behind my back.”

Sehun felt small with everyone staring at him. He was suddenly hyperaware of his appearance; he just hoped that they couldn’t see how nervous he was.

“Ah, finally,” A dark haired male with delicate features stood up, “We almost thought Zitao made up a fake boyfriend or stole pictures of an idol or something. Glad to see you’re real.” He approached Sehun. “I’m Lu Han.”

“Hey,” One of the boys on the couch with hair as dark dark as night said, “I believed Zitao.”

Zitao rolled his eyes. “You guys could try not to embarrass me.” He looked to the tallest male. “It’s good to see you.”

The male stood up and gave Zitao a tight hug. “You too. I’m going to be here for a little while before I go back to the states.”

“That’s great!” Zitao beamed. “We’re going to have to plan a lot of things to do.”

While Zitao and the other guy were talking, Sehun stood uncomfortably at the end of the hallway. Lu Han took note and approached him, taking him by the wrist to the couch.

“Let me introduce you to everyone.” Lu Han smiled to Sehun. His eyes lit up in realization. “You’re Korean, right?”

“Yeah, born and raised in Seoul.” Sehun answered, folding his hands in his lap once he sat down.

“Would speaking in Korean be easier for you?” Lu Han switched to fluent Korean, shocking Sehun.

“If that’s okay.” Sehun gave a bashful smile. “I don’t want to force anyone.”

“You won’t. I promise.” Lu Han said. He pointed at the onyx-haired male and the chestnut-haired male sitting on the opposite couch. “They’re Korean. This is actually their apartment. The shorter one, Kyungsoo, landed a job over here and,” He switched to pointing to the taller, “Jongin came with him. Jongin is a dance instructor with Yixing.” Lu Han turned to the male Zitao was interacting with. “That’s Yifan. He and Zitao are really close. They have produced music together for quite some time now.”

Sehun took in everything Lu Han was saying, taking a mental note of everyone’s names. “How do you know Korean, then?” Sehun asked.

“I studied in Busan for three years. It kind of stuck with me.” Lu Han nodded. “Yixing learned it by watching Korean dramas. He’s determined to act in one, so he learned the language. And, Yifan,” Lu Han chuckled to himself, “He’s kind of a genius. He can speak a lot of languages. He does a lot of work in the United States. I think his first language was English, too.” Lu Han disgressed. “Anyway, what I’m trying to say is he knows a lot of languages.”

Sehun slowly nodded, looking back to Zitao who was in a deep conversation with Yixing and Yifan. He turned back to Lu Han.

“You’re kind of quiet, aren’t you?” Lu Han asked.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Sehun frowned. “I didn’t realize.”

“Don’t be sorry.” Lu Han pat his knee. “You’re too cute. Jongin is kind of quiet too, if it makes you feel any better.”

Jongin glared at Lu Han from where he was sitting. “I heard my name. You’re not telling Sehun _that_ story, are you? I told you it’s embarrassing.”

“No,” Lu Han laughed, “I’m not. I was just talking.”

Kyungsoo put down the controller and joined in on the conversation. “Sorry for not introducing myself. I’m Kyungsoo and that is Jongin.”

“I already introduced you guys because I’m the best host.” Lu Han grinned.

“You’re not a host,” Jongin said matter-of-factly, “And this isn’t even your apartment.”

“Details, details.” Lu Han waved Jongin off.

The four of them began to talk, the conversation mostly being led by the three others. Sehun tried to keep up, but it was difficult. He had to catch himself to make sure that he didn’t say anything strange. He was lucky that everyone could speak in Korean, though he still felt like it was wrong that they were speaking it just for him.

After some more idle chatter, Sehun felt a hand run through his hair. He looked up to see Zitao smiling from behind him.

“Sorry about that. It’s been a long time.” Zitao sincerely said.

“You don’t need to be sorry.” Sehun put his hand over Zitao’s. “You’re allowed to talk to your friends.”

“You hear that, Taozi?” Lu Han grinned. “He really is so cute.”

“Don’t go trying to steal him from me.” Zitao protectively wrapped his arms around Sehun, bending down to rest his chin on top of the other’s head. “What does everyone want to drink?” Zitao asked. “I brought the beers I owed you, Yixing.”

“One of those, then. Thanks.” Yixing winked to Zitao.

“I’m cool with beer too.” Most of the other guys agreed.

“I can go get them. Don’t worry, Zitao.” Kyungsoo said, staring to get up.

“No, no.” Zitao answered. “Don’t worry. Play your game and beat Jongin. We’ll be even that way.”

Kyungsoo laughed and Jongin shot daggers at Zitao.

“Want to get a drink, babe?” Zitao asked Sehun.

“Sure.” Sehun sat up and followed Zitao to the kitchen.

Sehun decided on a beer, as he could drink it slowly. He had never drank with Zitao before, so he wanted to stay on the safe side in case he needed to drive back.

The two of them brought over the beers and Zitao retreated back into the kitchen to grab a bottle of liquor and shot glasses.

“Now we’re talking.” Yixing said as Zitao set the items on the coffee table. Sehun was sitting on the rightmost cushion of the couch watching Luhan, Kyungsoo, and Jongin race against each other.

“For the record,” Kyungsoo looked over momentarily to Zitao. “I won against Jongin.”

“Atta boy.” Zitao winked to Kyungsoo and focused his attention back on the glasses. Sehun watched the group eventually sit around the table, each taking a shotglass full of a questionably amber liquid.

“You’re joining in too, aren’t you?” Zitao leaned back from his spot against the couch and rested his head on the cushion next to Sehun’s knee. Sehun ran his fingers through Zitao’s hair and smiled down at him.

“I’m sure one drink won’t hurt.” Sehun said, lowering himself to be next to Zitao. The older put an arm around Sehun’s waist to pull him closer.

Lu Han pushed a full shot glass in front of Sehun, some of the liquor spilling onto the coffee table. Sehun carefully picked it up, as the liquid was still on the verge of spilling out.

“Alright, everyone.” Yixing raised his glass. “Cheers.” He grinned.

“Cheers.” Everyone said in unison as they took the shot. Sehun had to bite back a repulsed expression when the liquid went down his throat.

“Round two?” Yifan asked, setting his glass down a little too hard.

“Sure.” Kyugsoo said. Sehun was astonished that the shorter took the shot like it was water. Jongin, on the other hand, was a different story. He didn’t try to hide the repulsion of the shot, but at least he had Kyungsoo to comfort him.

“I’m going to sit this one out.” Sehun pushed his glass away. “You guys go on ahead.”

“I was hoping we would get to see you drunk, to see how you can really be.” Lu Han joked.

“Maybe another time.” Sehun lightly laughed.

The rest of the group enjoyed themselves, gaining liquid courage with each shot. Jongin tapped out soon after Sehun and sat on the couch next to the other.

“I can’t do too many of those either.” Jongin frowned. “It’s pretty gross.”

“It really is; they must not have tastebuds.” Sehun responded, earning a chuckle from Jongin.

The two fell into silence, clearly wanting to make conversation with each other. Sehun decided to take the lead, as he wanted to make a good impression on Zitao’s friends.

“So, you’re from Seoul?” Sehun turned to look at Jongin. “Did you go to school over there too?”

Jongin turned to Sehun and gave him a warm smile. “Yeah, I went to the School of Preforming Arts.I graduated five years ago. They moved me up a year, so everyone joked around that I was the baby of the class.”

“I went there too!” Sehun lit up. “I graduated four years ago, though.”

“That’s crazy.” Jongin laughed. “What a coincidence. To think that we could have met each other. I guess we never crossed paths.”

“Did you have Mr. Lee as your dance teacher?” Sehun asked.

“Yes!” Jongin smacked Sehun’s knee in excitement. “I thought he was so cool. I think the appeal of him was that he wasn’t much older than us; I felt like he could relate to our struggles.”

“I agree.” Sehun said. “I wonder what he’s up to now.”

“I heard he’s,” Jongin was cut off by Kyungsoo calling his name.

“Jongin, you’re up next! Yifan’s in the lead right now. He keeps maining Sheik and button mashing. Please come show him what Marth can do.”

“Got it.” Jongin stood up. “I’ll talk to you later, Sehun.”

“Sure.” Sehun answered and watched Jongin sit next to Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo handed him the controller and pointed at the screen, saying something that Sehun couldn’t hear over the music Lu Han decided to play.

Sehun hoped he was making a good impression. He had talked with Lu Han and Jongin the most, and they seemed to like him. Sehun always doubted himself; he felt like they were just being nice because he was Zitao’s boyfriend. He sighed to himself, tousling his obsidian fringe out of his face after looking down in search for his phone. Once he retrieved it, he stood up and looked for the balcony. A breath of fresh air would surely calm him. Besides, he needed to get the smell of alcohol out of his nose.

Luckily, the balcony was just down the hall and to the right, adjacent to the restroom. Sehun gently slid open the glass door and the night air smacked him in the face; the piercing cold seemed more like daggers on his cheeks. He accepted it, as he immediately felt relieved once he crossed his arms on the railing and watched flurries of snow fall from the sky. He had seen snow plenty of times in Seoul, yet it felt different in Qingdao.

Not only was the snow beautiful; so were the trees blanketed with thick layers of freshly fallen snow and the tall buildings that were illuminating the dark sky.

Sehun’s thoughts were jumbled when he felt a pair of warm arms wrap around his midsection, hands interlocking together around his body. A firm chest was pressed against his back.

“I was wondering where you went.” Zitao said, resting his chin on Sehun’s right shoulder.

“Can you believe it out here?” Sehun looked up at the sky. “It’s incredible.”

“It does look pretty nice.” Zitao responded. “It’s a good escape from reality.”

“You want to get away from your reality?” Sehun asked, turning to lock eyes with Zitao.

“No.” Zitao answered. “Not with you here, no.”

Sehun turned his body in Zitao’s arms, so he was now facing his boyfriend. Sehun reached out to cradle Zitao’s chin and took initiative. He leaned forward and connected his lips with the older.

After a chaste kiss, Sehun pulled back, only to have Zitao pull him back and crash their lips together. He returned his arms to the younger’s waist, holding Sehun protectively as the other threw his arms around Zitao’s neck.

It was simple, but it meant much more for the two. It felt right; like two puzzle pieces being put together to complete the picture. Zitao held Sehun as if he was the most precious thing in the world, and Sehun had never felt so safe in his life.

Sehun was relieved that the taste of liquor wasn’t very prominent on Zitao’s tongue, instead the sweet taste of cranberry greeted him.

“Hey, Tao!” A voice boomed from inside the apartment. “Are you going to choose your player, or do I have to for you?”

Zitao detached his lips from Sehun’s and pressed his forehead against the other. He couldn’t help but laugh.

“Leave it to Lu Han to ruin the mood.” Zitao chuckled. “I’ve been wanting to do that since we first started talking.”

“So have I.” Sehun ran his index finger along the shorter hairs at the base of Zitao’s neck. “This is really the best gift I could have asked for.”

“We’re just getting started.” Zitao released his grasp on Sehun and reached for his hand. “There is so much more to see, Oh Sehun.”

Sehun followed Zitao into the apartment, the sudden warmth of the heated floors was a relief to him. “You’re going to make me never want to leave Qingdao.”

“That’s been the plan all along.” Zitao half-joked.

They both entered the living room and Lu Han handed Zitao one of the controllers. Zitao sat on the carpet next to Lu Han and pulled Sehun down with him.

“I need a good luck charm.” Zitao said.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Sehun answered, adjusting himself so he was sitting behind Zitao and the older could lean back onto his chest.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to choose Villager.” Kyungsoo said, emerging from the kitchen.

“Of course, I am.” Zitao responded without looking away from the screen. “Unlike you, I chose a good character for my main.” He laughed. “I mean, seriously, who chooses Diddy Kong?”

“Hey,” Kyungsoo threw a kitchen towel at Zitao, “Don’t go judging me. I’ll have you know that it isn’t the character that is good, it’s the player.”

“Uh-huh. Sure.” Zitao retorted. “Well, at least you didn’t choose Mr. Game & Watch. That would be tragic.”

“Was that a blow at me?” Jongin was sprawled across the smaller couch, with Kyungsoo lifting the taller’s legs so he could sit as well. “I think it was.”

“It definitely was.” Zitao grinned.

The rest of the night was enjoyable for the group of friends. They must have taken a liking to the newcomer, as they were already planning an outing in the near future.

“Where should we go? I want to go to Lotte World.” Yixing frowned.

“I don’t think that’s going to happen.” Kyungsoo said in a monotone voice. “Unless you’re interested in buying us all plane tickets.”

“You know what?” Yixing took another swig of his beer. “Nevermind. I didn’t want to go anyway.”

“Maybe we should leave the decision making for when we’re sober.” Yifan crossed his legs on the coffee table.

“Or to someone sober.” Lu Han looked expectantly at Jongin.

Jongin raised his hands in defense. “I honestly don’t know much about what to do here. You’re asking the foreigner to decide?”

“Then how about you, Sehunnie?” Lu Han asked.

“Sehunnie?” Kyungsoo muttered under his breath in question.

“You’re asking the guy who has never been to China what to do?” Zitao turned to look at Lu Han. He was still resting comfortably against Sehun’s chest. “He just got here today.”

Lu Han held up a finger to his chin. “That’s right. Well, we can talk about it tomorrow. I better get home.”

“You’re not driving, are you?” Jongin asked. “We have plenty of extra space here.”

“I took a cab here.” Lu Han said. “It was easier than driving since we live pretty close.”

“Good.” Kyungsoo responded. “What about you two?” He looked at Sehun and Zitao. “Yixing and Yifan are staying tonight if you also want to.”

“I have Kandy at my place. I can’t leave her alone.” Zitao used Sehun’s thigh for leverage as he sat up.

“Kandy?” Sehun questioned.

“Wait, I haven’t told you about her? Yeah, I have a dog!” Zitao pulled out his phone and showed him his home screen of a maltise. “She must have been asleep when we dropped off your things.”

“You’re sober, right?” Jongin asked, referring to Sehun.

“Yeah, I only had a beer and that shot a couple of hours ago.” Sehun responded.

“Here, I’ll test you.” Jongin held out a hand to Sehun and pulled him up. He stood Sehun in front of him and held a finger to his eyes. “Yep, he’s good. His pupils aren’t shaking.”

“Very well then.” Kyungsoo got up to stand next to Jongin. “Let me know when you get back to Zitao’s, okay?” He fished his phone out of his back pocket. “Add your number. I’ll text you, so you can have my number. Let me know when you get back.”

“Wait,” Lu Han folded his arms, “I want Sehun’s number too.”

“Yeah,” Yixing held up a beer in his right hand, “Put your number in my phone too. We can go out without Zitao and tell you embarrassing stories about him.”

“You absolutely will not!” Zitao grabbed Sehun and held him protectively in his arms. “Stop trying to steal my boyfriend from me. Get your own.”

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “I’ll add him to the group chat and you guys can do what you please.” He put his phone back in his pocket. “Get home safely and make sure to rest, okay? We’re probably going to go to bed ourselves pretty soon.” Kyungsoo turned to Jongin for a moment.

“I’ll come down with you guys, too.” Lu Han got up, nearly stumbling into the coffee table along the way.

The group said their goodbyes. Before leaving, Zitao took a final shot with Yifan, putting him a bit over the edge of being buzzed. Sehun left the apartment with Zitao cutting off the circulation in his arm as he held onto the younger for dear life.

“I don’t want to fall and land on my face. I don’t think I could pull off a broken nose.” Zitao muttered.

Lu Han was lightly holding onto Sehun’s other arm until they exited the apartment. Sehun made sure Lu Han got into a cab safely and headed to Zitao’s car.

“I’m kind of scared to drive your car.” Sehun dug into Zitao’s front pocket to retrieve his keys. “I feel like I’ll do something wrong and you’ll hate me. What if I crash it?”

Sehun brought Zitao to the passenger door and opened it. Zitao reached out and wrapped his arms around Sehun’s waist while leaning on the vehicle.

“I don’t think there’s anything you could do to make me hate you.” Zitao kissed the corner of Sehun’s mouth. Sehun smiled at his boyfriend, the alcohol gave him a pink tint to his cheeks.

“Come on, let’s get you home.” Sehun said, quickly leaning forward to kiss Zitao. When Sehun tried to pull away, Zitao only held him closer. “Zitao,” Sehun said in between kisses, “Let’s save this for when you’re not drunk.”

“Sorry, I just can’t get enough of you.” Zitao grinned, running his hand up Sehun’s side. He released the younger and got into the passenger seat.

Sehun made his way to the driver’s seat and hesitantly put the keys into the ignition. “Here goes.” He said to himself as he put the car in reverse.

Though he was nervous, Sehun safely brought the two back to Zitao’s apartment. He turned off the car and went to the passenger seat to retrieve Zitao. When he opened the door, he noticed Zitao was dozing off.

“Babe, we’re here.” Sehun ran a hand through Zitao’s messy hair. “Careful getting out.”

Zitao could only nod and let Sehun lead him into the apartment. As Zitao said, the two were greeted by a white maltise.

“This is Kandy?” Sehun excitedly asked, bending down to pet the puppy, causing Zitao to nearly fall.

“That’s her.” Zitao bent down as well to pet the dog. “I’ll go let her out.”

“It’s okay.” Sehun turned to Zitao. “I’ll do it; you go lay down. Where is her leash?”

Zitao stood up and pointed to the kitchen. “First drawer on the right.”

Sehun retrieved the leash and let Kandy outside, the cool air biting at the both of them. Sehun opted for carrying the small dog back into the apartment when she was done.

After he put the leash away, he looked around for Zitao, following the stream of light coming from his slightly ajar bedroom door. Sehun lightly knocked on the door, only to have it opened by the older.

“You don’t have to knock.” Zitao moved aside to let Sehun through. Sehun didn’t realize he was staring when Zitao bent down to pick up Kandy and put her on the bed. All of those years of wushu and working out definitely paid off. Sehun was suddenly hyper aware of his own body, quietly stealing glances while he removed his winter jacket. Sehun only remembered to message Kyungsoo when his phone fell out of his pocket when he took off his jacket.

As he was turned, he heard Zitao turn on the television in his room. Sehun took the opportunity to quickly change into a pair of sweatpants and removed his top to put on a new one.

“Hey, Sehun.” Zitao called.

“Yeah?” Sehun answered, turning in Zitao’s direction with his arms raised as he removed the sweater. When he could finally see, he saw Zitao smirking at him.

“Nothing.” Zitao’s grin didn’t falter. “You said you liked working out, but I wasn’t expecting that.” His eyes flickered from Sehun’s torso to his face.

“Look who is talking.” Sehun plainly said, reaching down to pick a white tee-shirt and putting it on.

Once he was finished getting ready for bed, he turned off the light and exited the restroom. Zitao glanced from the television to Sehun.

“Come here, love.” The blonde said, patting the bed next to him. Sehun obliged, crawling into the bed to sit next to the other. Zitao immediately clung to Sehun’s torso, resting his head comfortably on his thighs.

“Are you always this clingy, or is it only when you’re drunk?” Sehun laughed.

“Always.” Zitao answered, laying on his side while facing the television. “I just didn’t want to scare you at first. Imagine a person you’ve only ever seen through a screen sticking to you like glue.”

“I don’t mind when it’s you.” Sehun ran circles with his index finger on Zitao’s hip bone.

Sehun didn’t know how long he was distracted by memorizing every feature of Zitao’s profile as he was laying on him. He truly felt like the luckiest guy in the world.  He wanted to learn everything about the other.

“Tao.” Sehun quietly said. He waited for a response but didn’t get one. He craned his head only to see Zitao sleeping. Sehun smiled to himself and turned off the television in the room. He legs would be numb tomorrow, but he didn’t have the heart to move the peacefully sleeping boy. Kandy was nestled against Zitao’s chest, asleep as well. It felt very domestic and Sehun adored the feeling.

The next morning, Sehun woke up to an empty bed. He looked around the room, not seeing the other in sight. Figuring Zitao went out with Kandy, the other pulled himself out of bed and went to get ready. Sehun laughed at himself when he saw his hair in the mirror. The back was sticking up from the way he was sleeping, and his bangs were haphazardly laying across his forehead. The only way to fix it was showering, so he did just that.

Once he finished showering, he lazily ran a towel through his hair and pulled on knit sweater and jeans. When he saw Zitao was not back, he opened the bedroom door and poked his head out. He quickly found out where the other was when he heard a crash from the kitchen. Sehun walked over to see a wok and pan on the ground, and Zitao crouching on said ground to pick up the pan. Sehun bent down to pick up the wok, catching the older’s attention.

“I swear this place is haunted.” Zitao laughed. “The just fell from where they were hanging.”

“I hope you’re not scared of ghosts then.” Sehun stood up and put the wok back on the hanger.

“Sehun,” Zitao put the pan up, “The wind could blow the wrong way and I’ll get scared.” He returned to the stove and picked up a spatula from the counter. “Last week, I was letting out Kandy really late at night. I heard a sound from behind me and freaked out. I heard it again and screamed. When I turned around to see what it was, it was a bird, Sehun. A bird.” Zitao shook his head at his own stupidity.

“I take it watching a horror movie is out of the question?” Sehun asked, leaning against the counter on the other side of the stove.

“I woke up the neighbor that night with the bird incident and they weren’t happy.” Zitao sighed. “I mean, if you really want to, but I’m afraid that they’ll think someone got killed if we watch anything that will scare me. I don’t know how, but my downstairs neighbor somehow heard my incessant screaming when Yifan thought it was a great idea to watch The Ring.” He shuddered to the memory.

“I’m just kidding.” Sehun walked over to Zitao and kissed his temple. “I wouldn’t do what to you.”

“Thanks.” Zitao looked to Sehun. “I hope the cookery falling and distracting me didn’t mess this up.” Zitao slid the spatula underneath the jianbing to check.

“It looks perfect to me.” Sehun eyed the dish. “Is there anything you can’t do?”

“Watch horror movies evidently.” The two laughed. “Anyway, this is done. Let’s get ready to eat.”

Sehun set the table as Zitao served the food. They sat down across from each other at the table.

“So,” Zitao spoke in between bites, “Is there anything specific you wanted to do today, or no?” He asked.

Sehun shook his head. “Not really. Just to spend time with you and not freeze to death outside.”

Zitao surveyed Sehun’s expression. “How would you feel about meeting my family?” After seeing Sehun nearly choke on the pancake, he backpedaled. “You don’t have to! It was just a suggestion. We can stay here; it’s just that I’ve mentioned you a lot and they really want to meet you.”

Sehun shook his head. “It’s not that.” He paused. “I would love to, really.”

“You would?” Zitao broke out into an expression of adoration. “I’m so glad. It means a lot to me that you want to meet them.”

Truthfully, Sehun had planned to meet them, since Zitao constantly hinted that his parents were eager for him to settle down. He had brought some teas from Korea just in case he did, but he felt like he needed to get them something else.

“Of course.” Sehun nodded.

“What’s wrong then?” Zitao tilted his head to the side. “You seemed shocked.”

“It’ not that at all.” Sehun reassured the other. “I was hoping to meet them, enough so that I brought them a gift from Seoul.” He paused. “Do you have an import store around here I could buy some wine from for them too?”

“You’re such a sweetheart.” Zitao got up with his plate and put it in the kitchen sink. “You don’t have to bring them anything.”

“I want to, though.” Sehun put down his chopsticks. “I need to be impressionable, don’t I?”

“You already are.” Zitao picked up Sehun’s empty plate. “But, to answer your question, there is an import store on the way to my parent’s house. I’ll stop on the way there.”

“Sounds good.” Sehun brought the rest of the plates to the kitchen. “How far do your parents live from here?”

“They live in Jinan. It’s a little less than two hours. We can stay there tonight, because I’m sure they’re going to want to have a big dinner with the family.” Zitao turned on the sink to wash the dishes, only to have Sehun bump him away with his hip and start washing the dishes himself.

“Okay.” Sehun nodded. “I’ll pack a bag after I clean these.”

“No, you’re my guest. I can do it.” Zitao grabbed Sehun from behind to try to move him with Sehun resisting. The two ended up in a fit of laughter and drenched sleeves. Zitao let Sehun win, and instead opted for wrapping his arms around the younger and resting his chin on his shoulder as he cleaned.

“Your hair is still wet. You’re going to get sick if you leave it like that.” Zitao spoke, causing Sehun to feel his breath on his neck.

“It will dry by then.” Sehun turned off the sink and dried his hands.

Zitao lifted a few strands of Sehun’s hair and examined them. “Have you ever thought about dyeing your hair?”

“Not really.” Sehun finally could focus all of his attention on the older. “I did one time when I was seventeen. It was stupid, but Chanyeol convinced me that bleaching my hair and dyeing it rainbow was a good idea. It wasn’t, hence why I’ve kept it black ever since then.”

“Oh, I’m sure you looked cute.” Zitao dropped the strands. “Damn, I bet you looked so good blonde. Actually, you’d look good with any hair color.”

Sehun sighed. “I have never showed anyone this, but I think Chanyeol still has a picture of it online. Do you really want to see?”

Zitao pulled away and clapped his hands excitedly. “Yes!” He sat in the same chair where he ate his breakfast and pulled Sehun down on his knee. “I never saw them on your page.”

“I took off of my tag, that’s why.” Sehun unlocked his phone, the wallpaper of Vivi looking back at him. “You can imagine the feedback I got on it.” He opened up Chanyeol’s page.

He had to click through a multitude of pictures of Chanyeol before he made it to the photos of them dyeing Sehun’s hair. “See? Here it is blonde. We did Chanyeol’s red, as you can tell.”

“Look at you!” Zitao zoomed in on the photo. “You were such a baby.”

Sehun chuckled. “Shut up. Anyway, a few months later we did the rainbow.” Sehun scrolled to a photo of him with his rainbow hair, Chanyeol with long and straight brown hair, and Baekhyun with a deep auburn hair color. “The guy all of the way to the right is Baekhyun.”

“Oh my God.” Zitao took Sehun’s phone. “This is the cutest thing I have ever seen. I’m going to do this to you while you sleep.”

“Don’t you dare.” Sehun side-eyed Zitao. “I’ll shave off your eyebrows and dye your hair blue.” He paused. “Damn it, now that I think about it, you would probably still look hot.”

Zitao burst out laughing and lightly hit Sehun’s thigh. “Let’s get ready to go, babe.”

The two made their way to Zitao’s bedroom and packed. Zitao had an extra travel bag just for Kandy’s things. Sehun rolled his eyes but opted to not say anything since he would do the same for Vivi.

As Sehun was pulling out things to bring, he took out the gift he got for Zitao’s parents and the gift he had gotten for his and Zitao’s anniversary. It wasn’t for another three days, but he figured it would be perfect for the car ride. He had carefully wrapped them the day before he left to Qingdao in pastel blue paper. Sehun put the gift for Zitao’s parents in the shared bag with his boyfriend. It would be better to give his gift to him now, so he wouldn’t be suspicious of the extra gift.

“Hey, Zitao.” Sehun picked up the small box and held it in both hands.

“What is it?” Zitao turned around and immediately noticed the gift.

“I know it’s a little early, but I wanted to give you our anniversary gift now.” Sehun walked over to Zitao.

“You didn’t have to get me anything. You being here is more than I could ever ask for.” Zitao heaved a sigh.

Sehun opened one of Zitao’s palms and placed one side of the box in it. Zitao obliged and sat on the edge of the bed. He carefully opened the box.

“Sehun, you didn’t.” Zitao’s mouth dropped open when he looked at the item. “How could you afford this?”

“I’ve been planning it for a while and I used the money I saved up from my summer job.” He paused.” It’s you, Zitao. I couldn’t get you any basic sunglasses.” Sehun fiddled his thumbs nervously.

“Yeah, but Gucci?” Zitao delicately held the glasses as he examined them. “These are totally my style.”

“That’s why I got them for you.” Sehun answered. “Don’t feel bad or anything; I did it because I wanted to and I-“ He stopped. “Because I wanted to.”

In a flash, Zitao got up and pulled Sehun into a tight hug, rocking him bath and forth as he held him. “You are amazing. When I think you can’t get any better, you do.”

“I just want you to be happy.” Sehun responded.

Zitao pulled his head back so he could look at Sehun. “I don’t need gifts from you to be happy.”

He leaned in and gently kissed Sehun, the younger quickly returning the action.

“My gift is going to be pretty shitty compared to yours.” Zitao kissed Sehun once more and reached for his hand. “I’ll give it to you on the actual day, though. It’s not really tangible, if you know what I mean.” Zitao winked.

“Oh,” Sehun quirked a brow, “How…bold?” He responded.

“I’m just messing with you, probably.” Zitao grinned. “Anyway, we have a little bit of a drive ahead of us, so we should get going.”

Sehun nodded. “Sure.” He picked up the dog from the bed and looked at her collar. “Zitao, don’t tell me this is a designer dog collar.”

“What can I say?” Zitao laughed. “She and I have expensive taste.”

Sehun rolled his eyes. “You’re crazy.”

…

The two went on their way to Jinan, listening to music and chatting along the way. Zitao stopped at the import store for Sehun and the younger made his purchase while Zitao waited in the car with Kandy. He came out with two bottles of wine in gift bags and a smile on his face. He put the bags in the trunk and got back in the passenger seat. Zitao handed him Kandy and put the car in reverse.

“I swear, you were barely gone, and I missed you already.” Zitao watched carefully in his review mirror as he backed up. “What am I going to do once you go back home?”

“Tao,” Sehun placed a comforting hand on the other’s thigh, “Let’s not think about that now. Distance has never been a problem for us.”

“I know,” Zitao put his car back in drive and used his right hand to hold Sehun’s, “It’s just, now that I’ve met you, it makes it harder.”

“I know, babe. We will figure things out; we always do.” Sehun squeezed Zitao’s hand. Truthfully, he did come to Qingdao with an idea in his head. He wanted to meet the people Zitao loved to determine their future together and what could possibly happen. He knew that the moment he met Zitao, he would fall even harder.

It was different getting to know someone’s personality in the flesh. Zitao usually carried himself with utter confidence and poise through a screen. It was refreshing to see the real him; from his small insecurities to his favorite music. Sehun had admitted it to himself long ago that he was in love with Zitao. It was bound to come out soon.

After talking about other things to get the sad thoughts out of Zitao’s mind, he was back to his usual self. Zitao pointed out landmarks and stores along the way to his parent’s home.

“My parents have friends that own that restaurant.” Zitao pointed at a beige building. “If you eat there, you’ll never try any other barbeque. I took Yixing there and he begs me almost every weekend to make the drive with him.”

“What is that over there?” Sehun pointed out of the rolled down window. He returned his grasp to the small dog after indicating where he meant, who was enjoying the cool breeze from the open window.

“Baotu Springs. There are a lot of springs around here, but that one is the most well-known. There is so much history here; maybe we can check some landmarks out tomorrow.” Zitao responded.

“Were you born in Jinan?” Sehun asked. He knew Zitao had lived in Qingdao for some time, but he had never directly asked.

“I was born in Qingdao.” Zitao smiled. “I went to boarding school for a couple of years and my parents moved here. Most of my family lives in Jinan, so they wanted to be closer. I stayed in Qingdao because I’m familiar with it and it’s still close.”

“Ah,” Sehun said, “Do you have a large family?”

Zitao laughed. “You have no idea.”

…..

When Zitao pulled into the driveway of an elegant home, Sehun felt his nerves creep in. Nevertheless, he pushed the feeling aside and opened the car door. The cold immediately numbed his cheeks and small snow flurries descended onto his coat. He held Candy tightly to his chest, covering her with his sleeves. With his other hand, he balanced the gifts he brought on top of each other.

“You want some help there?” Zitao shut the trunk and took both of the bags, leaving Sehun with the teas he purchased.

“Thank you.” Sehun laughed. “I just want to make sure she isn’t cold.” He looked down to Kandy.

“You’re too cute.” Zitao used his free hand to throw it around Sehun’s shoulders. “Let’s get inside.”

Zitao led Sehun up the stairs and to the front door. He used a key on his keyring to open the door.

“Mom? Dad?” Zitao called. Sehun set down Kandy, who immediately went running up a flight of stairs. Zitao turned to Sehun. “I’m pretty sure they’re going to be in the kitchen. My grandmother wanted everyone to go over to her home tonight, so my mom is probably cooking something to bring.”

Sehun nodded. Zitao must have hoped he would agree to go over to see his family, as there were already plans for the evening. Sehun followed Zitao into the direction of the kitchen, setting the gifts on the dining room table where Zitao put the wine.

“Mom?” Zitao called, poking his head into the kitchen entrance.

“Tao? You’re here!” Sehun heard a woman’s voice. “Was the drive okay? Did you bring Kandy?”

“Yes.” Zitao chuckled. “She’s somewhere, probably looking for one of the cats.”

“And where is this boyfriend of yours?” The woman asked.

Zitao turned to Sehun and motioned him over. He walked through the door frame to see a middle-aged woman with wavy hair smiling at him. Sehun was shocked; Zitao’s mother could pass for her early thirties and was strikingly beautiful.

“Oh, my goodness,” His mom said, walking over to take Sehun’s hand, “You’re even more handsome in person. I thought one of those celebrities Tao loves walked into my home for a second.”

Sehun was relieved that he could understand most of what she was saying. It wasn’t as rapid as the restaurant owners he encountered previously. “It’s great to meet you. I’m Sehun.”

Zitao’s mother looked from Sehun to Zitao. “And you can speak Mandarin? Very impressive; Zitao was right about you.” She smiled. “You can call me whatever you want. Mrs. Huang, auntie, whatever works.” Mrs. Huang pulled Sehun into a hug.

“Thank you for welcoming me into your home.” Sehun said once she let go.

“Of course!” Mrs. Huang beamed. “Zitao talks about you non-stop, so I knew you had to be special.”

“Mom…” Zitao whined.

“Oh, honey, you know it’s true.” She crossed her arms and gave Zitao a pointed look.

Sehun couldn’t help but to laugh, almost forgetting to give her the gifts. “Oh!” Sehun said, momentarily leaving the room to retrieve the gifts. “These are for you.”

Mrs. Huang gasped and took the gifts. “You didn’t have to, sweetheart. Thank you so much.”

Sehun shyly smiled and Zitao put his arm around Sehun’s waist and kissed his cheek. “Isn’t he something else?” Zitao said.

“No kidding.” She took one of the wines out of the bag. “French wine? I’ve always wanted to try it.” She smiled and took out the other wine. “Italian wine too? I can’t believe you got these for us; you are so thoughtful!”

Sehun was happy to see that Zitao’s mother was elated by the gifts. “The last gift is from Seoul. I brought it with me.”

Zitao’s mother unwrapped the paper and revealed ornate tea containers that immediately gave the room an aromatic scent of citrus. “These are beautiful. We are big tea drinkers, but these are almost too beautiful to open.” She set down the tea and gave Sehun another hug. “Let me go get my husband. He’s been eager to meet you too.”

Zitao’s mother excused herself and Sehun heaved a sigh.

“I hope that she actually liked the gifts.” Sehun leaned on the doorframe and Zitao his boyfriend’s right hand, threading his fingers with the younger’s.

“I know that look my mother had when she opened them.” Zitao grinned. “She’s never going to want you to leave.”

Sehun looked up to his boyfriend and ghosted a smile. Though he had looked at the older plenty of times, his heart never failed to beat faster every time he looked into Zitao’s alluring eyes.

The boys heard footsteps on the stairs and, soon enough, Zitao’s mother appeared with his father, Candy happily panting in his hands.  

“Tao! Welcome home!” Mr. Huang said, placing the dog by his feet. Zitao disconnected his hand with Sehun’s and went over to give his father a hug.

 Zitao and his father were similar stature, though Zitao still had an inch or so more height to him. Zitao’s father also looked strikingly young like his mother. Sehun wondered if people thought that about his parents, as they had him when they were in their mid-twenties.

He was in his own thoughts, only catching a bit of what the family was talking about. All he knew was that Mrs. Huang mentioned something about the gifts because, next thing he knew, she hooked her arm with his and walked him over to where Zitao and his father were.

“Thank you for the wonderful gifts. We can bring them to dinner tonight.” Zitao’s father extended his hand. “It’s great to meet you, Sehun.”

Sehun took his hand. He was slightly intimidated, as he was when he first saw Zitao. “It’s great to meet you too. Thank you for allowing me in your home.”

“Of course. Thank you for coming to meet Zitao; he called us after he asked you to come. He was on the verge of tears.” Mr. Huang laughed, earning a groan from Zitao. “Want to see some baby pictures?”

Sehun grinned, about to accept when Zitao grabbed his forearm. “I was actually mentioning to Sehun that I wanted to take him to that arcade that you would take me every summer when we visited the family.”

“That’s a good idea, sweetheart.” Zitao’s mother winked at him. “Don’t spend too much time there. Dinner is going to be around six and you will still need to get ready.”

“Will do!” Zitao called, already pulling Sehun halfway through the front door. “Love you guys!”

“You must really not want me to see those photos.” Sehun laughed. “I bet they’re adorable.”

“Maybe some other time.” Zitao clung to Sehun’s arm. “Jeez, it’s cold.”

Sehun nodded, watching Zitao’s breath dissipate into the air. “Is it far?”

“Not really, like twenty minutes by car. There’s no way I’m driving in the city right now. I’ll be too impatient. We can take the metro.” Zitao pointed to the right. “You probably saw it, but we live pretty close to the station. That’s one of the main reasons my parents chose this location, so my dad didn’t have to drive to work every day.”

Sehun gave a sound of understanding and Zitao began walking in the direction of the station, quickening his pace when snow flurries landed on his nose.

“You would think I’d be used to the weather.” Zitao whined.

“Here,” Sehun stopped walking and faced Zitao, “At least put your hood up, so snow won’t fall on your face.” He put up Zitao’s hood and ran a thumb over the snow to wipe it away. “Better?”

Zitao started at Sehun a bit longer than he should have and smiled fondly. “Better.” He answered, lingering for a few more moments before they continued walking hand-in-hand.

The duo made it to the station and found the proper line, easily finding a seat together. The trip was rather quick. When they were able to see outside, Zitao pointed out some buildings and told Sehun what they were.

They exited the station and took a short walk to a shopping district, with Zitao stopping in front of a large brick building. He opened the door and led Sehun inside, the younger was immediately was enamored with the vast collection of arcade games.

Zitao bought tokens for them and looked to Sehun. “What do you want to play first?”

“What about that game over there?” Sehun pointed to one of the seated games that was enclosed in a capsule.

“That’s a horror game. You have to fight the undead and run away from ghosts.” Zitao jutted out his bottom lip. “Actually, we should play it. I need to get over my fear.”

“Are you sure?” Sehun asked with concern in his voice. “We can play something else.”

“No, I can do it.” Zitao nodded at his own comment. “Let’s play.”

Zitao ended up letting himself be killed immediately so he could look away from the screen and bury his head in the crook of Sehun’s neck, as the younger laughed and continued to play.

“Look at you, laughing at my misery. You even abandoned my character in the first room!” Zitao’s voice was slightly elevated as he spoke.

“I couldn’t help you after you threw the controller.” Sehun tried to stifle his laughter by biting his bottom lip. “I didn’t expect you to get this scared.” Sehun set down the controller and let his character be killed, opting for holding Zitao to comfort him. “I’m sorry.” He kissed the top of Zitao’s head.

“That’s okay, babe.” Zitao said while Sehun rubbed his back. “I might just have to hold onto you now.”

“I don’t have a problem with that.” Sehun sat up, pulling Zitao with him. “You choose now.”

“How about a racing game?” Zitao reached out for both of Sehun’s hands and rocked back on his heels. Sehun agreed and Zitao led him over to one of the games. The other seat was occupied, so Sehun told Zitao to play first.

“I’ll just stand here and watch.” Sehun said. “It’s no problem.”

Zitao reached for Sehun’s waist and sat him on his lap. “We can play together.”

Sehun obliged, slightly concerned about the looks they would get. He wished he could be like the older and not care what other people thought. Zitao was so carefree, unlike him.

Zitao started up the race. Sehun quietly watched Zitao quickly pass the computerized opponents.

“You’re good.” Sehun blindly commented as he observed.

“You probably are too.” Zitao peppered kisses on the back of Sehun’s neck.

“Zitao…” Sehun whispered. Zitao switched to holding the steering wheel with one hand and placing the other on Sehun’s upper thigh. Sehun cautiously looked around to make sure no one was watching.

The race finished and Zitao fell back a few places.

“What happened?” Sehun asked. “You were doing so well.”

“Yeah…” Zitao lightly chuckled. “Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to have you sit here.”

“Why?” Sehun looked at Zitao and Zitao shot him a pointed look. “Oh.” He paused. “Oh.” He got up.

Zitao simply shook his head and laughed once more. “Let’s find another game; there are plenty of options. Plus, don’t I have to be sappy and win you a stuffed animal or something? Isn’t that proper boyfriend etiquette?”

“I’ll have to get you one too, then.” Sehun responded.

The two spent a couple more hours than anticipated in the arcade. They both loved video games, so they were bound to have a good time. Sehun had successfully won Zitao a cat stuffed animal, while Zitao got Sehun a panda one.

“This is so cheesy.” Sehun commented as he held the plush in his arms on the way back from the station.

“We have to be cheesy.” Zitao bumped shoulders with him. “You know how many missed opportunities I have had to do this kind of stuff with you?”

“True.” Sehun said. “We’re not too late, are we?” He asked.

Zitao looked at his watch. “I don’t think so. We’ll probably leave around half past five, so we have some time.”

Sehun sighed. “Good. I don’t want to make a bad impression.”

“You won’t. Even if you somehow,” Zitao paused, “I don’t know, broke all of my mom’s fancy china or something and she suddenly hated you; I wouldn’t. What maters is us and not what anyone else thinks.”

Sehun felt a pang in his chest. Zitao was right; he meant the world to Sehun and that was the most important factor.

They made it back to the house and quickly took off their snow-ridden boots.

“Tao,” Zitao’s mother came out from the kitchen in a high neck maroon dress, “Make sure you get ready now. Did you bring any dress clothes?”

Zitao clicked his tongue. “No, I forgot.”

“You still have some upstairs.” She wiped her hands on a kitchen towel. “Make sure you get Sehun something too.”

Zitao nodded. “Got it.” He and Sehun headed for the stairs.

“You look beautiful, by the way.” Sehun commented.

“Thank you.” Mrs. Huang held a hand to her chest. “You’re such a sweetheart.”

Sehun smiled at her once more before following Zitao up the stairs. Their bags were in Zitao’s room, neatly placed on the bed.

“My mom brought all of my stuff from Qingdao and put it in here. I visited often while in college, so they made this my room for when I came. They even put up some of my childhood things.” Zitao commented as he made his way to his closet.

Sehun walked over to the desk in his room and smiled when he saw photos of Zitao as a teenager and awards from the many wushu competitions he won. Sehun picked up a small photobook and flipped through it. Zitao was dressed in a school uniform with his arm around a dimpled brunette that he assumed was Yixing.

He looked through more photos and saw some from when Zitao was in college. He was with Yixing, Yifan, and Lu Han all in front of a mall. Yifan was resting his elbow on Lu Han’s head and Yixing was on Zitao’s back. Sehun smiled to himself when he continued to look.

The last photo looked more recent. All of the friends, including Jongin and Kyungsoo, were sitting on the floor of a dance studio. Jongin was smiling while holding up a peace sign and everyone else looked exhausted.

Sehun put the album down and looked to the closet. Zitao was holding up a midnight blue silk button down and a black button down with red accents.

“You should wear the black one.” Sehun said.

Zitao looked to Sehun. “Okay, you can wear this one then.” He held up the hand with the blue shirt. “We probably wear the same sized pants, so I’ll get you some slacks.” Zitao easily retrieved two strikingly similar pairs of pants and threw one to Sehun.

Sehun left to change and neatly brushed and styled his hair. He blew away a strand of hair that was in front of his eyes and gave himself a nod of approval.

Sehun exited the bathroom and nearly bumped into Zitao on the way out, catching himself on the other.

“Why do we keep meeting like this?” Zitao laughed and stood Sehun back up.

Sehun started at Zitao in awe. He was wearing the button down with the first few buttons undone and various necklaces hanging on his chest, along with the sunglasses Sehun have him hanging low on the shirt. He had an expensive suit jacket over it and shiny black shoes to tie in the look.

“My family knows how I like to dress.” Zitao laughed when he caught Sehun staring. “Nothing shocks them anymore.”

“It’s not that.” Sehun scratched the back of your head. “You look good is all.”

“I could say the same for you.” Zitao placed a hand on Sehun’s hip. “If you’re ready, we can head out.”

……

Sehun was visibly anxious on the car ride. He could only hope that Zitao’s family was as big as he thought, so he could fade into the crowd unnoticed.

“If it makes you feel any better,” Zitao said while carefully holding the wines, “My cousin is bringing her boyfriend for the first time. He’s American, so surely that will be a lot for my family to focus on.”

“And you’re a guy dating a guy.” Sehun added. “That’s a lot to talk about too.”

“I think pretty much everyone who has ever met me knows that, if I say I’m bringing someone to dinner, it’s not going to be a girl. Plus, I already told everyone a lot about you.” Zitao gave a genuine smile. “I’m so excited to show you off. You have no idea.”

Sehun readjusted the dish Mrs. Huang made on his lap. It had a towel under it, but it was still warm on his legs. He watched as Mr. Huang parked the car next to a large home. “Hopefully they can understand my Mandarin.”

“They’re pretty good at speaking at a decent pace. My other cousin’s husband is Japanese, so they have learned to adapt.” Zitao opened his door and Sehun followed after him. They were careful to not slip on the ice as they made their way to the front door. The silk shirt didn’t provide any warmth, so Sehun was relieved when the door was quickly opened. Sehun followed Zitao’s parents into a large dining room where people were putting a variety of dishes on the table. Presumably Zitao’s grandmother came over to them.

“Just on time.” She smiled to the family. “You must be Sehun; Taozi showed me pictures of you.”

“Yes, that’s me.” Sehun said, trying to respectfully bow with the dish in his hands. “Thank you for welcoming me.”

“Oh, honey, you can put that down.” She looked in the direction of the table. Sehun nodded and put the dish on the table, as well as giving a small smile to the older gentleman heading in his direction.

“Sehun, right?” He said. “I’m Zitao’s grandfather. Welcome.” He had stern facial features similarly to his son and Zitao, but a friendly aura radiated from him.

“It’s good to meet you.” Sehun bowed to him.

“You as well. Come, let’s go greet the others.” Zitao’s grandfather began to walk in a different direction. Sehun looked to Zitao, who was distracted talking to his grandmother about the wines. He decided to continue following his boyfriend’s grandfather. He was led into a large family room with an equally large amount of people in it. When they entered, most of the family took note and acknowledged Sehun.

“This is Sehun. I guess Zitao is a little too caught up talking to do introductions, so I took the liberty to do it.” The grandfather said.

Sehun felt panicked with so many people having their attention focused on him. It was intimidating, and he tried his hardest to wash away the feeling of his legs being jelly.

Zitao’s grandfather started from the left-hand side of the room as he did introductions. “That is my daughter with her husband and kids.” He looked at Sehun. “They’re twins, both six years old, so prepare yourself.” He adjusted his small-framed glasses. “That is my oldest son and his wife. They have a son somewhere around here; he’s probably around your age. Next is my youngest daughter. She has two daughters, both married. Next-“

“Grandpa, I can take care of the rest.” Zitao said from behind them, causing his grandfather and Sehun to be startled.

“Are you trying to get rid of me?” Zitao’s grandfather held his heart. “My heart just about stopped.”

“Don’t say that.” Zitao clicked his tongue and put his hand on his grandfather’s shoulder. “Where did you stop?”

“I was just about to get to Shuichi.” His grandfather said. “I’ll go help your grandmother while you take care of this.”

Zitao nodded and thanked his grandfather. He leaned close to Sehun and continued. “Okay, so, that is Shuichi; my cousin’s husband. The guy next to him is Harrison, my other cousin’s husband. Lastly, the guy standing over there is my final cousin. He’s a single father of a one-and-a-half-year-old, who is probably sleeping upstairs.”

“You weren’t kidding about having a large family.” Sehun gave a small bow to everyone; luckily, they were too involved in their conversations to notice his demeanor.

“Zitao!” A voice behind them said. Sehun and Zitao turned around to be greeted by a male with wavy ash brown hair and a charming smile.

“Yuta!” Zitao moved to hug the male. “How are you?”

“I’m good.” The two separated and the brunette pocketed his hands. “You know that music program I’ve been in? Well, I auditioned for a group and I passed. I’m moving to Seoul in a month.”

“Really?” Zitao’s eyes widened. “That’s such great news! I’m proud of you.”

“I’m really excited too. Luckily, I have a friend in a different province of China that got in as well. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know anyone there.” He laughed.

“Sehun lives in Seoul.” Zitao hooked his arm with his boyfriend’s. “Oh, this is Sehun. I should have introduced him earlier. Sehun, this is my cousin, Yuta.”

“You live in Seoul? How is it there? I’m nervous.” Yuta said.

“Born and raised there.” Sehun smiled. Sehun could already feel a sense of comfort when he talked to Yuta. “It’s nice, but very busy if you live in the heart of Seoul. However, you’ll be taken care of since you’re part of a company.” He paused. “I have a couple of really good friends that live in Seoul too. You’re more than welcome to spend time with us.”

“Really?” Yuta grinned. “Wow, thank you.”

“Of course. I have a friend, Junmyeon, who is a manager at one of the companies. You’ll be in good hands if you’re with him. My other friend, Minseok, is a vocal coach there too.” Sehun responded.

Yuta’s name was called from the kitchen. “I’ll get your number later. I probably burned something and they’re yelling at me for it.” He pointed his thumb in the direction of the kitchen.

“Good luck. We don’t want another Christmas fiasco.” Zitao said, patting his cousin on the back. 

Once dinner was completed, the family ate dinner together. Sehun didn’t mind observing more than talking; it was nice to see Zitao by his side enjoying the company of his family. Zitao was very animated when he talked; making sure that the person speaking knew he was listening to their every word. Sehun knew Zitao. He knew that he was kind and secretly a little insecure, though no one would ever be able to tell. He was loving and a fan of physical contact; Sehun learned that when he very first met him and when he saw him with his friends.

When dinner was finished, Sehun offered to help with the dishes, with Zitao’s grandmother agreeing after many attempts of declining. The family gathered in the living room while he cleaned the dishes with two of Zitao’s cousins.

“Zitao has never brought anyone to meet the family.” One of Zitao’s cousins, Ai, said. “He’s a pretty sensitive person, so I was worried.” She shrugged and pulled a long strand of raven-colored hair behind her ear. “I’m glad it’s you, though. You look at him and I can see love in your eyes.”

Sehun reddened slightly in embarrassment, ducking his head down to scrub a non-existent particle of food off of the plate.

“Thank you.” He quietly responded. “I really do love him.” Sehun processed what he said and backpedaled. “I mean, I really like him.”

Ai giggled and took his hand in hers. “It’s okay. I’m positive he feels the same way. Taozi and I are pretty close, so he tells me a lot. Fan and I,” Ai nodded in the direction of Zitao’s other cousin, “Are kind of his outlet.”

“That’s true.” Fan said as she dried a glass cup. “We’re all dating foreigners; that is something we have in common.” She laughed.

Sehun couldn’t help but laugh along with her. Zitao’s family had been nothing but pleasant to him. He had always thought he loved his boyfriend but saying it out loud felt different. Sehun felt liberated; as if it was only a matter of time until he could confess to Zitao.

“Let’s go to the living room with everyone.” Ai was holding a plate of cookies. “The kids are probably wanting to play anyway.”

Sehun smiled. He loved kids, so he was more than happy to play with them. They entered the living room and Sehun waved to the twins that looked at him curiously. He stopped when he saw the baby that was sleeping upstairs earlier in the living room. Sehun couldn’t help but approach the father who was sitting on the couch, an exhausted expression on his face.

“Chao, right?” Sehun asked. He vaguely remembered his father calling him earlier.

Chao looked up, dark circles under his eyes. “Sehun, isn’t it?” Though he looked exhausted, his voice was full of energy.

“Yes, it’s good to meet you.” Sehun felt a tug on his slacks. He looked down and was greeted by a pair of chestnut colored eyes and a wide smile. He knelt down to the child and looked to his father.

“That’s Hai. Is he bothering you? I can take him.” Chao began to sit up.

“Oh no,” Sehun shook his head and smiled, “I don’t mind at all. I can keep an eye on him for a while, so you can relax.”

Chao sighed. “Normally, I would decline, but work has been intense. Thank you, Sehun.” He leaned his head back on the couch contently.

“Of course.” Sehun focused his attention on Hai. “Hello, Hai. I’m Sehun.” He took the child’s small hand in his.

Hai continued smiling at Sehun and picked up a plush bear that was leaning against the couch.

“Is that yours?” Sehun asked. “Does he have a name?” Sehun knew Hai probably couldn’t speak, but even a garbled word of some sort could qualify as the bear’s name.

Hai nodded and reached his hand up to touch Sehun’s cheek.

“He likes you.” A small voice said from behind him. Sehun turned to see the twins looking at him. “I’m Jia and that is Jie.” Both girls sat next to Sehun.

“I’m Sehun. Do you guys have a game you want to play?” He asked as Hai crawled onto his legs.

“Yeah!” Jie chirped. “Can you give me a piggy back ride?” She didn’t wait for an answer and, instead, wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Sure, sure.” Sehun laughed.

…

Zitao was sat in between his grandmother and mother, distracted by Sehun as he was in a conversation with the two.

“He’s a keeper.” Zitao’s mother said, taking her son’s hand in hers. “You got very lucky with Sehun.”

“I did, didn’t I?” Zitao’s attention was still fixated on Sehun, hearts in his eyes.

His grandmother chimed in. “He’s very helpful too. I can tell he’s going out of his comfort zone being here, but he is doing an incredible job.”

Zitao could only nod at his grandmother’s comment. He had known Sehun for less than two years, yet he would have no idea where he would be without the other.

As he was watching, Sehun was holding Hai in one of his arms, while Jia was trying to get him to lift her by the bicep. He glanced over to where Zitao was, giving a small smile to the other. Zitao returned the gesture, except he broke out into a huge grin when he saw the other.

…

“We don’t want you to go!” Jie whined as she held onto her sister’s arm. “It’s not fair.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon, okay? Next time I see you, I’ll bring you a toy from Seoul. How does that sound?”

“Okay!” Jia excitedly answered. “But hurry back, okay?” She held up her pinky finger and Sehun linked his pinky with hers. “Promise?”

“Promise.” Sehun smiled and stood back up, as the girls had stopped him in front of the doorway, blocking anyone else from leaving.

“Thank you again, Sehun.” Chao said as he held Hai. “The wine you brought was delicious, by the way.”

“I’m glad you liked it.” Sehun responded.

“Well, boys,” Zitao’s father said, “Let’s get going. It’s supposed to start snowing hard in a little bit.”

“Okay, we’re off.” Zitao finished his conversation with Yuta. “Don’t forget to message Sehun!” He walked through the doorframe.

“I won’t!” Yuta waved. “Bye!”

The four headed back to the house. The trip was quiet, the only sound coming from the radio. Zitao intertwined his fingers with Sehun’s, their connected hands resting on Zitao’s thigh.

When they got back to the house, Zitao’s parents wished them a good night and retired to their room. Zitao and Sehun, along with Kandy happily trotting by Zitao’s feet, went to Zitao’s room. Zitao closed the door and walked over to Sehun, pulling him into a loving embrace, his arms thrown over Sehun’s shoulders.

“Thank you.” Zitao said, the vibrations of him talking reverberated onto Sehun’s collarbone.

Sehun embraced Zitao as well, holding him delicately as he did so. “For what?”

“For everything. You couldn’t have been a more perfect guest. Everyone in my family told me how much they adored you. Not only that, but you keep doing these things.”

“Things?” Sehun asked.

Zitao turned his head so that he was looking at Sehun. “Yeah, things that make me keep falling deeper in love with you.”

Sehun’s stared at Zitao, slightly shocked. “You love me?”

“I have for a long time. I really wanted to wait and tell you tomorrow at the springs, or the next day on our anniversary. I just couldn’t wait, though.” Sehun had never seen Zitao look shy and nervous until then.

“It’s funny. I was talking to Ai earlier and I let it slip that I loved you. She could already tell, though.” Sehun commented, feeling his ears redden slightly in embarrassment.

“Seeing your interaction with the kids made me have to tell you.” Zitao paused. “Wait, what did you say?”

Sehun threw his head back and laughed. “I said I love you too.”

“Really?” Zitao smiled.

“Of course.” Sehun grinned. “What isn’t there to love? I have for a while, too. Chanyeol teased me about it one of the first times he video chatted. He claimed I looked at you with ‘heart eyes’.” He said.

Zitao cupped Sehun’s cheeks and kissed him. “I’m so happy right now.”

“Me too.” Sehun ran his hands from Zitao’s torso to his waist. “It makes it so much easier to tell you all of the time now.”

“Oh my God.” Zitao breathed out and connected their lips a little more aggressively than earlier. Sehun leaned into the embrace and kept one hand on the older’s waist, the other finding it’s way to his neck.

Zitao walked Sehun backwards, never disconnecting along the way. Zitao took the initiative to lick at Sehun’s bottom lip for entrance. The older deepened the kiss, pushing Sehun into the wall next to the bedroom door.

Zitao untucked Sehun’s shirt and ran his hands along the other’s abdomen.

“Holy shit,” Zitao spoke into Sehun’s mouth, “Impressive.”

“That’s not the only impressive thing on me.” Sehun responded.

“Cocky.” Zitao detached their lips and grinned. He went to Sehun’s neck, kissing from his jawline to collarbone.

Sehun managed to undo Zitao’s belt as the other did whatever he wanted. Sehun didn’t care, everything sent surges down his spine when it came to Zitao.

Sehun threw Zitao’s belt somewhere on the ground and went for the buttons on his shirt.

Zitao kissed Sehun one more time before pulling away.

“What?” Sehun asked, eyes full of lust.

Zitao reached out for the door handle to the left of him. “I don’t want Kandy to see this.” He opened the door and Kandy ran out. Zitao closed the door and looked to Sehun. “Now, where were we?”

…..

Sehun forced his eyes open when he felt rays of sun sneaking through the curtains and hitting his face. Zitao was sitting at the desk in his room looking through notebooks from the shelf above his desk. Sehun sat up, groaning slightly as he did so.

“Hey there.” Zitao was now looking at him and smiling. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore.” Sehun ran a hand through his hair.

Zitao laughed. “Sorry, I shouldn’t be laughing.” Zitao moved from the desk chair to the bed. “Also, did you pack a turtleneck?”

“Um,” Sehun sat up completely and leaned against the headboard, “I think so. Why?”

Zitao held Sehun’s chin and lifted it up slightly to fully expose his neck. “You either look like someone shot you with paintballs or your very possessive boyfriend happened to not realize what he was doing last night.”

“Ah.” Sehun got the message. “Yeah, I’ll cover it up.”

“Unless you want my parents to see that, which I highly doubt. I honestly didn’t think that would happen here last night, but I’m not mad about it.” Zitao put his weight on one arm and leaned to the side.

“I’m definitely not either.” Sehun grinned. “What’s the plan for today?”

“Well,” Zitao put his thoughts together, “I was thinking that we can head back to Qingdao and go see one of the springs along the way.”

“Sounds good to me.” Sehun nodded. “I’ll get ready.”

Sehun and Zitao finished getting ready and enjoyed a meal with Zitao’s parents. They had their bags packed and headed out once they finished.

“Come back soon, Sehun.” Zitao’s father gave a friendly wink to him.

“I will. Thank you for your hospitality. I can see where Zitao got his kindness from.” Sehun hugged both of Zitao’s parents.

“The pleasure is all ours. Your parents should be proud of what a fantastic son they have raised.” Zitao’s mother said.

Sehun hugged her once more before Zitao said his goodbyes. He put the bags and Kandy in the car to give the older alone time with his parents.

Zitao made his way to the car and the two waved as they drove away. The drive to Baotu Spring was short, since it was also located in Jinan. Zitao put Candy on a leash and they entered the spring.

“Wow,” Sehun said, mouth slightly agape, “It’s really beautiful here.”

Zitao nodded, burrowing his chin deeper into his scarf. “It is. The mountains really make it one of the most stunning springs in China, or at least I think so.”

“I haven’t seen any others that closely, but I have to agree too.” Sehun reached for Zitao’s arm. “It looks cold though.”

“It isn’t too bad. Something interesting about the spring is that it stays the same temperature all year.” Zitao said.

“Wow.” Sehun looked around the entirety of the spring. “It probably looks beautiful at night, too.”

They began walking on the path that brought them to one of the many courtyards at the spring. “You should come back in early November for the lantern festival.” Zitao said.

“I’d love to.” He said. “What is your favorite thing here?” Sehun turned to Zitao.

“It’s all really beautiful, but you should see the architecture at the 10,000 Bamboo Garden.” Zitao looked into the distance, presumably at the mentioned location.

“Let’s go check it out.” Sehun commented.

The two walked peacefully into the proper direction, both in awe at the stunning appearance of the building.

Zitao pulled out his phone to take a picture of the building. “I have to send this to the group chat; Kyungsoo is going to be so jealous he isn’t here right now. He loves this place.” Zitao raised his phone up to take the photo.

Sehun decided to take some photos to show his friends, as well.

“Speaking of photos,” Zitao continued to look at his phone screen, “We haven’t taken any yet.”

“Let’s fix that.” Sehun took Zitao’s hand. “Over here is really pretty.”

Sehun bent down to pick up Kandy and Zitao took a picture of the three of them. Sehun took one as well in front of a koi pond, quickly changing the photo to his lock screen.

“You’re going to hate how many photos I am going to take. I just don’t want to forget anything.” Zitao held Sehun’s hand as they walked.

“I don’t mind; I’ll do the same.” Sehun used his free hand to open up his camera. Zitao smiled at the camera. “Say something, it’s a video!” Sehun laughed.

“Oh,” Zitao laughed as well, “I don’t know what to say.” He paused. “Well, if this is for you to watch later, I’ll tell you I love you.”

“I love you too.” Sehun said. Zitao took Sehun’s phone from his hand and recorded the two of them.

“There. We can look back on that in the future and laugh at it.” Zitao pointed forward. “You’re going to love it over here.”

The two spent a few hours at the spring before heading back to Qingdao. Once they got back, they spent time playing video games together and chatting.

“How can you play this and be okay, but the other zombie game scared you?” Sehun asked as his character picked up a defibrillator.

“Because I have mods.” Zitao answered. “I changed all of the zombies into innocent looking characters.” He focused his attention on the screen. “You know the zombie that spits acid and is really scary looking? Well, I changed it into Anpanman. Not so scary now, is it?”

“It’s more cute than anything.” Sehun said, eyes still glued to the television they were playing video games on. “I would have never known you were such a baby if I hadn’t seen you had mods. When we played away from each other, I was none the wiser.”

“I have a few tricks up my sleeve, Sehun.” Zitao grinned. “Time will tell.”

Sehun couldn’t help but think his comment had a double meaning, but he shrugged it off.

After spending far too much time playing video games, they didn’t realize that they day had turned to night.

“Jeez,” Zitao stood up from the ground and stretched, “I didn’t realize the time.”

“Same here. We even forgot to eat, which is absolutely not normal for us.” Sehun wrapped his arms around Zitao’s abdomen from behind him.

“Should I cook?” Zitao asked. “I feel kind of lazy.”

“We can cook together.” Sehun said. “Do you have groceries?”

Zitao nodded. “I just about bought the whole store when we solidified us meeting.”

“I love you.” Sehun said, letting go of Zitao and heading into the kitchen, but not before gently kissing the older’s cheek.

“That is the food clouding your mind with love, not me.” Zitao dramatically pouted.

Sehun rolled his eyes. “Will having a burger and fries make you feel better?”

Zitao’s eyes lit up. “I love you.”

“Is that the food clouding your mind?” Sehun said in a mocking tone. “Just kidding, I’d make whatever you wanted regardless.”

After nearly completing dinner, Sehun noticed a photo on the fridge of Zitao and his friends standing in front of a night market together. “I love seeing these photos of you. Look at how happy you look here.”

Zitao looked to the photo and laughed lightly. He returned his attention back to grilled meat. “It was fun. I’m really lucky to have such great friends.”

“You are.” Sehun agreed. “I really liked that photo of you from high school in your room.”

“You saw that?” Zitao turned around fully. “Can you believe that hairstyle I had? Tragic.”

“It wasn’t bad!” Sehun chuckled. “Bad would be if you got a bowlcut or something. You should see Chanyeol’s hairstyle evolution. That is what you call tragic.”

“I need to meet Chanyeol in person.” Zitao shuffled away from the fridge and to the stove to flip the burgers.

“Trust me, if he could have fit into my suitcase, he would have come.” Sehun assured Zitao with a firm nod.

The younger returned to his position in front of the cutting board, chopping onions into matchstick size. The two cooked mostly in silence for the rest of the meal, occasional humming being emitted from the older’s lips.

They completed the meal and ate together at the dining table. When they were finished, they retired to Zitao’s room to watch a movie in bed.

Halfway through the movie when Zitao paused it to let Kandy out, Sehun’s phone rung. He flipped it over to see an incoming video call from Chanyeol.

Immediately, he picked his phone up and pressed the accept button.

“Hey, Sehun!” Chanyeol’s lopsided grin filled the screen.

“Chanyeol, how is Vivi?” Sehun asked, waving to his best friend through the screen.

“Wow,” Chanyeol jutted out his bottom lip, “You ask about Vivi before me? He’s fine, though he’s been crying from the other room ever since Baekhyun took him out there.”

“What?” Sehun sat up straighter in the bed. “What’s wrong with him? Is Baekhyun torturing my baby?”

Zitao poked his head through the doorframe without Sehun noticing and chuckled when he heard his interaction with Chanyeol.

“I’m just kidding!” Chanyeol switched his phone into his other hand to show Baekhyun next to him with a sleeping Vivi in his lap. “He’s right here with Baek.”

Sehun’s shoulders relaxed. “Good.” He said. “Wait, are you at Baekhyun’s?”

“Yeah, I’m staying here tonight. Jongdae insisted on keeping Vivi with him, but I told him I got it. We’re going to make him a little party hat out of paper in honor of yours and Zitao’s anniversary.”

“Do not put a hat on my dog.” Sehun offered Chanyeol a stern look. “Putting human stuff on a dog is so degrading.”

“Sehun, you have sunglasses for your dog.” Chanyeol rolled his eyes. “Sunglasses!”

“Okay, but those are practical. What if it’s super bright one day and he looks at the sun?” Sehun retorted.

“Dude,” Baekhyun said, taking Chanyeol’s phone, “You’re being ridiculous. He’s getting a hat and there is nothing you or Jongdae can do about it.” He stuck his tongue out of the corner of his lips. “Where’s your man, anyway?”

“He’s letting out his dog right now.” Sehun said. “He should be back over any minute.”

Zitao snickered from where he was standing, petting Kandy as he did so.

“Ah,” Baekhyun answered, “How are things going?”

“Great. He’s really great. So are his family and friends.” Sehun nodded to himself.

“You’re not being awkward, are you?” Chanyeol leaned his head against Baekhyun’s to get into the frame better. “I know you’re shy and all, but hopefully you don’t feel that way around him.”

“I mean, I probably am.” Sehun shrugged. “He’s just so, I don’t know, everything I’ve always wanted. Wouldn’t you be shy around the person you love?”

Chanyeol glanced at Baekhyun. “No. Wait, maybe. I mean, I don’t know. Anyway, that’s besides the point!”

“Okay, I guess I have to ask what we’re both wondering.” Baekhyun butted in. “Did you get some of that Qingdao dic-“

By the grace of heaven, Zitao entered the room and caught Sehun’s attention. The expression Sehun made must have cut off Baekhyun’s sentence.

Zitao sat next to Sehun, throwing an arm around his shoulders.

“Oh,” Sehun tilted his phone to get the two of them in frame, “Here’s Zitao.”

“There’s the man of the hour!” Chanyeol held up a peace sign. “I’m Chanyeol; we’ve played games before together and talked on the phone.”

“Of course, I remember you, Chanyeol. It’s nice to see you.” Zitao gave a toothy grin. “And you’re Baekhyun?” He nodded at the other person on screen.

“That’s me.” Baekhyun reached for Chanyeol’s hand to lower the camera. “And here’s Sehun’s baby, Vivi. You’ve got some competition back in Seoul, Zitao. Sehun loves this dog more than you probably.”

“Hey!” Sehun glared at Baekhyun. “That’s _probably_ not true.” He glanced at Zitao to test his expression. “I’m just kidding.”

“I know, baby.” Zitao kissed Sehun’s temple.

“Well, we won’t take up anymore of your time.” Chanyeol said. “We’re going to get to making clothing for your dog. Happy early anniversary!” Chanyeol quickly waved at the screen and ended the call before Sehun could retort.

Sehun rolled his eyes at his phone and set it down. “There’s Chanyeol for you.”

Zitao reached over the side of the bed to lift Candy onto the soft mattress. “He seems really nice.” He leaned back onto Sehun’s chest, burrowing his face into the shirt above Sehun’s abdomen. “I’m tired.”

“Go ahead and sleep then, love.” Sehun ruffled the older’s hair. “We have all day tomorrow to spend together.”

“I know.” Zitao’s voice came muffled from his position. “But then you leave the next day and I’m going to miss you so much.”

Sehun frowned to himself. He didn’t even want to think about being without his boyfriend. There wasn’t enough time for them to spend together, but he knew Zitao had to get back to producing and he had to get back to his place before it got completely destroyed.

Sehun opted for silence and running his index finger along Zitao’s spine where his shirt rode up. The older would be asleep soon enough anyway, so talking about it would only upset him.

Once he could hear Zitao’s breath even out, he carefully lifted his left arm to reach for his phone, sending a text and smiling to himself.

…

Sehun was the first one up in the morning.

He slithered out from underneath Zitao and quickly got ready. He popped a beanie on his head before heading out to the bakery he had seen days prior.

Though it was only six months of officially dating and less than two years knowing Zitao, it felt like they were always meant to meet. Sehun hoped Zitao felt the same way.

Walking the streets of Qingdao alone made Sehun feel shyer than usual. His Mandarin was rusty, and the street names were blending into each other.

However, luck was on his side when he saw the rose-colored sign with gold letters. He entered the small café and was greeted by a girl around his age with auburn hair. She helped him pick out some of their most popular pastries, as well as choosing drinks for him to take.

“You’re getting a drink for someone else too, right?” She asked. “Do you know if they like coffee?”

“I think so.” Sehun held his chin in between his thumb and index finger. “What do you suggest?”

“Since you’re getting red bean buns and they’re very sweet, I would suggest our almond flavored coffee. It’s slightly bitter to balance out the sweetness, but it isn’t too bitter to the point where you will have to add a lot of extra sugar.”

“Perfect.” Sehun gave a small smile. “Thank you for your help.”

The girl made his drinks while he stood at the register, drumming his fingers on top of the pastry box.

She turned from the coffee maker and looked to Sehun. “You have a special occasion or something? You look a little nervous.”

“I guess you could say that.” Sehun bit at his bottom lip.

“You’re not from here, I can tell.” The girl put a cap onto the second drink and brought both of them over. “Where are you from?”

“Seoul.” Sehun said. “I’m just visiting.”

“Oh, really?” She asked, inputting the prices into the register. “Visiting your girlfriend or something?” Her eyes flickered up to test his expression. “Anniversary?”

“How did you know?” Sehun laughed. “Am I that obvious?”

“60 Yuan.” She shrugged. “And, not really. You’re cute though and nervous, so I figured you had someone. I’m sure the gesture won’t go unnoticed.”

Sehun handed her the allotted money. “I hope he’ll be surprised.” Sehun slipped, quickly speaking to cover up. “Anyway, thank you for your help.”

“No problem.” She grinned. “Have a good one.”

Sehun nodded and exited the bakery, balancing the coffees on top of the box as he put his wallet into his back pocket.

He made it back to Zitao’s quickly, glad that he snagged the older’s keys, so he wouldn’t get locked out. Sehun opened the door and placed the items on the counter.

“Good morning, baby.” Zitao’s groggy voice called out from behind him. Sehun turned to see him stretching his arms above his head, eyes scrunched closed.

“Happy anniversary.” Sehun responded, approaching the older.

“Oh yeah!” Zitao’s eyes shot open and stared fondly at Sehun. “Happy Anniversary. I love you.”

Sehun stood in front of Zitao and intertwined the fingers on his right hand with his boyfriend’s.

“I love you too.” He leaned foreward to kiss Zitao. “I love you so much.”

Zitao released his hand to cup Sehun’s cheeks. “You’re the cutest.” He tilted Sehun’s chin down to kiss his nose. “Were you outside? Your nose is cold, babe.”

“Yeah, I brought you breakfast and coffee.” He brought his boyfriend by the hand to the counter where the items were.

“Did I mention that I love you?” Zitao asked. “Let’s eat and then go to the Zhanqiao Pier.”

Sehun and Zitao had breakfast together, the two conveniently dropping small bits of the buns that the dog just so happened to eat.

When they were done, Zitao stood up from where they were eating on the couch. “I’ll get ready now.” He said. “Dress extra warm, because it’s colder by the water. I can lend you something.”

“Okay.” Sehun grinned. “I bet it’s going to be beautiful by the pier.”

“It is.” Zitao smiled. “Now, I’m going to go shower.” He started. “All alone and so very lonely. I’ll have no one to celebrate my anniversary with in there. It’s going to be so, so lonely.” He dramatically sighed. “I’m already sad thinking about it.”

Sehun chuckled. “You poor thing. How ever will you survive?”

Zitao scoffed and approached Sehun, causing the other to back into the living room wall. “Are you voluntarily going to join me, or am I going to have to throw you in there with all of your clothes on?”

“You couldn’t lift me over there.” Sehun stuck out the tip of his tongue. “No matter how toned you are.”

Zitao quirked a brow. “You want a bet?”

“I do.” Sehun raised his brows and smirked.

In a swift movement, Zitao lifted Sehun by the back of his upper thighs and the other instinctively wrapped his legs around Zitao’s hip region.

“Okay, I underestimated you. You win.” Sehun tiled his head back and laughed.

“That’s what I like to hear.” Zitao had already begun to walk towards the bathroom. “Now I’ll show you one of the many ways we can celebrate.”

…

The two made it to the pier three hours later. Zitao and Sehun walked hand-in-hand to the end of the pier and looked out to the water.

Zitao pulled Sehun closer to him and took out his phone to take a picture. After taking the picture, he pocketed his phone and glanced at the younger from the corner of his eye; smugly grinning in delight to himself.

“Hey, Sehun.” Zitao said.

“Hey, Tao.” Sehun responded, still glancing out at the water.

“Happy Anniversary.”

“Happy Anniversay.” Sehun squinted from the sun as he looked at his boyfriend.

Zitao reached into other pocket and pulled out a small box wrapped with violet-colored paper. “This is for you. Well, for us.”

Sehun gingerly took the gift, a small blush creeping onto his cheeks. He carefully unwrapped the gift and lifted the lid of the box.

“Oh my God.” Sehun breathed out.

Zitao continued to look at Sehun with a glint in his eye. He was so enamored by the younger.

“It’s obviously not a wedding ring since we’re both a little young for that and I didn’t want to propose the first time we met.” Zitao finally spoke. “It’s kind of like a promise ring. If you promise to be mine until we make that step, I promise to be yours.” He suddenly felt shy.

Sehun stayed silent, taking the nearly matching rings out of the box before placing one of the silver bands on his finger before taking Zitao’s hand to put one on his.

As soon as he finished, Sehun threw his arms tightly around Zitao’s neck and held him tightly. Zitao’s hands naturally found their way to Sehun’s waist and held him in place.

“This is way better than my gift.” Sehun softly spoke. “Of course, I’ll be yours, Zitao. There could never be anyone else.”

“Thank you, baby.” Zitao tightened his hold on Sehun. “It was either a ring or asking you to move in and it would be selfish to ask you to move away from your friends.”

Sehun pulled away to eye Zitao. “The ring is perfect.” He said. “I have another surprise for you too. Well, it’s more of a place.”

“Really?” Zitao questioned. “Well, alright. Lead the way, handsome.”

The two exited the pier and headed to the station. On the way over, Sehun had checked how close the location was they were going to and, luckily, it was a short metro ride.

They waited for their line together, chatting over bubble tea when a voice called out from behind them.

“Tao?” A male voice called.

Zitao turned to the source of the voice and Sehun felt the other’s arm around his shoulder’s tense.

“Minghao?” Zitao asked, furrowing his brow.

Sehun turned to look as well to see a tall male with burgundy hair and circular-rimmed glasses looking at Zitao.

“I thought that was you!” The male, Minghao’s, face broke into a smile. “How are you? I haven’t seen you in so long. What has it been? Two years?”

Zitao shrugged, squeezing Sehun’s shoulder apologetically. “I guess it has.” He mumbled.

“You look good--really good.” Minghao ginned, dipping his chin into the collar of his knit turtleneck.

“Thanks.” Zitao flatly said.

“So, what are you up to today? Want to get coffee?” He asked.

Zitao looked from his drink and to Minghao. “Um, I’m kind of hanging out with someone right now.”

“Who?” Minghao asked, glancing to Sehun. “Oh, I didn’t see you. Hi, I’m Minghao. I’m Zitao’s ex-boyfriend. What is your name?”

Sehun flushed, suddenly feeling quieter than normal. “Sehun.”

Minghao nodded, turning back to Zitao. “Well, when you’re done, we should spend the day together. I miss you.”

“Well, I’m kind of spending the day today with Sehun, considering it’s our anniversary.” Zitao quickly spoke, pulling Sehun closer.

“Woah, really?” Minghao’s eyes widened and pointed from Zitao to Sehun. “You guys? Together? I thought you went for a different type of guy. You know, not…him.”

Zitao glared at Minghao. “What do you mean? You act like there’s something wrong with him when there clearly isn’t.”

Sehun felt himself slightly possessive of his boyfriend after he heard the tone of Minghao’s voice. “Look,” Sehun finally spoke up, “If you don’t mind, we are going somewhere. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have to wait for our line.”

“I’ll wait here too.” Minghao shrugged. “You know that Zitao and I were together for two years.”

“Okay.” Sehun boredly answered.

“We were in love.” Minghao spoke again. “I always knew we would get back together. I just don’t get why he chose you in the interim. I mean, kind of a downgrade.”

“Okay, Minghao. You have to go.” Zitao butted in. “I am never getting back together with you. You treated me like shit when we were together. You cheated on me, too. Why would you ever think I would want to get with you; especially when I’m in love with someone else?”

Minghao pocketed his hands in his bombed jacket and laughed. “You’re so cute. You’ve always liked the idea of being in love. You’re a dreamer, Zitao. I’m not trying to brag, but you can’t get anyone better than me. We are both successful and make good money. We are the perfect match.” He sighed. “It wasn’t cheating because you were being really annoying at the time and weren’t putting out. I had to act on my urges, and I did. I never treated you like shit.”

Sehun could feel his cheeks getting hot during the conversation. The idea that Zitao was with Minghao and was being treated badly made him sick. Zitao was a ray of sunshine and knowing that he was not being taken care of as he should have wanted to make him punch Minghao. Minghao must have treated him badly enough to have the older recoil at his words. Sehun wasn’t one to put his nose where it didn’t belong, but he couldn’t help it.

Sehun stepped away from Zitao and toward Minghao. “How dare you?” He said. “How dare you say those things about him. What makes you think you’re superior to him? Sure, I may not be the richest person in the world, but I would never cheat on him, nor push him around. How could you do that to someone that treats everyone with kindness?

“Oh, please. Get out of here. I can barely understand your Mandarin anyway.” Minghao scoffed and shoved Sehun aside with his shoulder as he walked away. “See you, Tao.”

Sehun watched Minghao walk away and attempted to compose himself when he felt a hand wrap around his. He looked to his side and saw Zitao looking at him.

“Sorry.” Sehun shyly said. “I shouldn’t have butted in, but that was really messed up of him. He doesn’t know what he’s saying, and I hope you didn’t take his words to heart.”

Zitao offered a small smile and pulled Sehun closer to him to lean his head against the other’s. “Thank you for standing up for me. No one has ever done that. I’m over him and his nonsense. You would never treat me like that and that’s what matters.”

Sehun caressed Zitao’s cheek. “I love you.” He placed a chaste kiss on Zitao’s temple before heading to the, now open, doors of the metro.

They sat down and enjoyed the short trip in each other’s company.

“Again, thanks again for standing up for me. I know you were going out of your comfort zone.” Zitao said after a short, but comfortable, silence between the two.

“Of course, love.” Sehun squeezed Zitao’s hand. “If I ever treat you the way he did to you, feel free to slap me.”

“You wouldn’t, I promise.” Zitao reassured the younger. “You were kind of intimidating earlier. It was pretty hot.”

Sehun laughed out loud, earning a scowl from the woman seated in front of him. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Zitao chuckled.

…

“So, you’re still not going to tell me where we’re going?” Zitao aked.

Sehun was standing behind him as they walked on the street, hands clasped over his shoulders. “Nope.” He quickly said.

His destination was close, so he knew he had to avoid letting Zitao see. He made his body flush with the older’s back and covered his eyes with his hands.

“Trust me, alright?” Sehun said, resting his chin on the other’s shoulder.

“I swear, if you make me conveniently fall into a river or something, I’m dragging you in there with me.”

Sehun chucked and continued leading Zitao.

They made it to the destination and Sehun ordered Zitao to cover his own eyes, as he took his hand to lead him into the building. Once they were in, Sehun walked a little bit further until he told Zitao he could look.

“Happy Anniversary!” Lu Han shouted from in front of the duo, resting his elbow on the railing attached to the wall.

Zitao looked in shock at all of his friends standing in front of him.

“What?” Zitao questioned, tilting his head in curiosity.

“I figured that there was no better way to celebrate than having some fun with your friends and also spending time together.” Sehun softly said.

“We also never broke our tie the last time we played anyway.” Jongin shrugged and Kyungsoo threw an arm around his shoulder. “Remember, loser buys ice cream?”

“And the loser will be you.” Yixing commented. “Remember last time we went bowling? You walked up the lane and tried to win that way?”

“And then it closed up on you.” Yifan chucked. “That’s called karma.”

“Shut up.” Jongin scoweled.

“Anyway,” Kyungsoo started, “Are you guys hungry? There’s that restaurant on the second floor that you wanted to go to.”

“Sounds good.” Zitao said. “I can always eat.”

The friends made their way to the elevator and Zitao pulled Sehun back to talk to him.

“You planned all of this?” Zitao asked. “When? How?”

“Yesterday.” Sehun said. “I wanted to do something special and I know how much your friends mean to you. I remember you texting me last time you went bowling and the videos you sent. You looked like you were having a lot of fun, so I figured it was a good idea. Kyungsoo suggested this place because of the restaurant and location.”

“My friends mean a lot to me, but so do you.” Zitao smiled. “I really appreciate all of this, Sehun. It feels like more of a celebration for me, though.”

Sehun shrugged. “Trust me, if I could have gotten my friends over here too, I would have. They would fit in incredibly well.”

“I can see that. Everyone will have to meet at some point.”

…

The group enjoyed a meal together before they excitedly made their way to the bowling alley and chose their lanes.

The most competitive people in the group put on their game face. Lu Han and Jongin got into an animated argument over the calibration when Lu Han’s turn got messed up and gave him a free roll.

“It’s not fair!” Jongin pouted. “It shouldn’t count since we didn’t get one either.”

“It is fair.” Lu Han smirked. “I can’t help it that I won and you’re bitter.”

Zitao rolled, trying to block out the bickering behind him. Yifan came back from the food stand behind them, sodas in hand. He sat down next to Sehun and handed him one.

“Thank you.” Sehun smiled and took the beverage.

“No problem.” Yifan relaxed into the seat. They watched Yixing try to sabotage Zitao to win the game, though Yixing was a solid thirty points behind.

“You’re pretty cool, you know that?” Yifan said. “You make Zitao really happy. I can tell you’re shy, so it’s nice of you to go out of your way and do all of this for Tao.”

Sehun turned to Yifan and beamed. “Thank you, really.”

“I only speak the truth. His last boyfriend was an asshole. I couldn’t stand the guy.” Yifan subconsciousy grit his teeth together.

Sehun fidgeted in his seat, twirling his thumbs around each other. “Was his name Minghao, by any chance?”

Yifan shot a curious glance at Sehun. “Zitao talked about him to you?”

Sehun shook his head. “No, we actually ran into him on the way here.”

“Shit.” Yifan breathed out. “Poor Tao. That guy really messed him up.”

Sehun frowned. From an outsider’s perspective, Zitao radiated confidence. It was heartbreaking to know he suffered in the past. “That’s horrible.”

The taller nodded and rest his elbows on his knees. “It’s not my place to talk about it, but he’s the worst. Aside from making Zitao extremely self-conscious and sad, he was also a sleaze. We invited him to one of my shows in Beijing and he ended up getting super drunk and trying to get with Lu Han. It was fucked up. Of course, Lu Han didn’t reciprocate it. When he came over me to try and hit on me, I punched him. He blamed it on the alcohol, but it wasn’t the first time he’s done something bad behind Tao’s back. Zitao became so quiet and the shell of the bubbly person we know him as.”

Sehun balled his hand into a fist and bounced it on his knee. “I hope we never have to see him again. I can’t believe him.”

“Neither can I.” Yifan looked up to where Yixing was now standing, ushering him to take his turn. Yifan pat Sehun on the knee and stood up. “We’ll talk later.”

Sehun spent some time with Kyungsoo and a pouty Jongin when Zitao and Lu Han went to get the ice cream for the group.

When they came back, they enjoyed the dessert and went to the arcade in the bowling alley.

Sehun stopped in front of the basketball game and his eyes gleamed at it. Ever since he was a child, it was his favorite game.

“You want to play, baby?” Zitao asked, snaking an arm around Sehun’s waist. He kissed the younger’s temple as he did so. “I can get tokens.”

“It’s okay, I’ll get them, and you can play what you want.” Sehun reached a hand out to bring Zitao closer by the neck and kissed him. He released himself and got token from the machine, giving some to the group. Kyungsoo and Yifan immediately went to air hockey, while Yixing and Jongin played a dancing game. Lu Han stuck with Sehun and Zitao.

“Sehun,” Lu Han said, grabbing the younger’s hand, “Come on, let’s take some photos in the photo booth.”

“Stealing my boyfriend now, are you?” Zitao crossed his arms, no anger on his face.

Lu Han rolled his eyes. “You know I meant for you to come too. Get over here, you big baby.”

Lu Han shoved Sehun and Zitao into the booth, settling in after them. Eventually, the rest of the group finished their games and insisted they all take photos together. The booth became cramped, but they managed to make it work.

“You should move to Qingdao, Sehun.” Lu Han pocketed his photo strip after they exited the booth. “You’re too much fun.”

“Seconded.” Yixing winked at Sehun.

“What about my friends in Seoul?” Sehun winked back at Yixing.

“Oh,” Jongin waved his statement away, “They can move here too. It’s fine.”

“Don’t force him to make decisions like that.” Kyungsoo furrowed his brow. “Though, it would be nice to have another fellow Korean to hang out with.”

“I’ll ask the guys if they would like to join me.” Sehun joked.

“I told you they would love you.” Zitao snuck up from behind Sehun and locked his arms around his boyfriend’s torso. Sehun put his hand on top of Zitao’s clasped ones.

“Alright,” Kyungsoo heaved a sigh and pocketed his hands, “I think we should head out and let the two of you enjoy the rest of your anniversary together.”

“I was going to bring you a gift,” Yixing grinned, “But Lu Han saw what I had in mind and threatened to hit me if I gave it to you. I don’t see what was so wrong with giving you guys a di-“

“OKAY.” Lu Han interjected and pushed Yixing to the doors. “Have fun, kids.”

Zitao and Sehun waved until the group left the alley.

“What’s next?” Sehun asked Zitao.

“Well,” Zitao said, “I was thinking that you did all of this, so I can only do something for you. Let’s go see a horror movie.”

“Are you sure?” Sehun asked, “I don’t want to get you scared, love.”

“It’s okay. I’ll have you there, so I’ll survive.” Zitao tugged on Sehun’s hand and led him to the elevators. “Third floor is a movie theater.”

The duo ended up choosing a paranormal film and Zitao didn’t hesitate to show his fear during the entire movie.

Zitao eventually buried his face in the fabric of Sehun’s jacket and squeezed his eyes shut.

“The twelve-year-old in front of us was giving you dirty looks when you screamed at the first ghost.” Sehun whispered to his boyfriend.

“Let him.” Zitao whined. “He’s not so tough.”

Sehun chuckled to himself and continued watching the movie. His arm eventually became numb from the tight hold Zitao had on it, but it was worth it.

After the movie, the couple went back to Zitao’s home and relaxed for the night. They wanted to spend as much time together as possible before Sehun left tomorrow.

After going in the heated pool provided by the complex, they showered and changed, opting to order in from a local Korean restaurant for dinner and lounging on Zitao’s oversized bed.

“When you come to Seoul, I want to take you to one of my favorite cafes. It’s a cat café and they have a life changing melon boba.” Sehun said in between bites of kimchi fried rice.

“That sounds great.” Zitao grinned and reached forward to wipe a grain of rice from the corner of Sehun’s mouth with a napkin. “I’m excited to see the things you love.”

…

A few hours later and Sehun and Zitao found themselves laying in nearly complete darkness, aside from the LED screen of the television sending out colorful waves of color that dimly lit their faces.

Sehun thought back on Minghao and what Yifan had said and couldn’t help but feel animosity toward his boyfriend’s ex. He couldn’t feel himself tense about the situation, but Zitao saw right through him.

“What’s the matter?” Zitao lifted his head from where he was laying on Sehun’s chest and propped himself on the elbow to look at him. “And don’t say nothing. I can feel you all tense under me.”

Sehun glanced at his palms and back to Zitao. “I’m just kind of angry. No, not angry, frustrated I guess.”

“Oh no.” Zitao gave a concerned expression. “What happened?”

“It just frustrates me to know that someone made you feel badly about yourself.” Sehun said, testing Zitao’s expression. “I can’t figure out why anyone would try to find a way to hurt you. Not to be too soft or anything, but I cannot find anything bad about you. When we first found each other online, I never knew that I was going to fall in love with you, come to Qingdao to see you, to meet you. Not once did you ever brag about yourself, nor did you tear me down. You always made sure I was being treated well. Before you, I was extremely shy. The only people I talked to were my close friends. It was even out of my comfort zone to play online games with people. But, you know what? I did, and the best thing came out of it--you.” Sehun said, the silence making his shyness creep up on him. “Anyway, what I’m trying to say is, don’t let what people said about you in the past, or even in the future, define you. Sometimes, people don’t understand what you have been through and don’t get that their words hurt and can stick with you for years. I would have never guessed that someone treated you badly in the past because you hold yourself well, but I know that, deep down, it caused you pain. No matter our future, I promise to never do anything like that to you and you can always talk to me, okay?”

Zitao continued to stare at Sehun, mouth slightly agape. “I think that’s the most you have ever spoken at once.” He joked. “I’m kidding, but it’s because I don’t know what to say.”

Zitao sat up and crossed his legs together, allowing his right thigh to rest over Sehun’s. “You mean so much to me, Sehun. I know we’re young, but you’re the one for me. I wish I could have met you sooner, so I would have never had to deal with dating assholes. You go out of your comfort zone for me and you always compliment me. I can tell you’re apprehensive to be surrounded by a lot of people, but you do it anyway because it makes me happy.” Zitao took Sehun’s hand into his, rubbing his thumb in circles over his boyfriend’s palm. “You’re internally and externally beautiful, Sehun. I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” Sehun felt wave of emotions. Maybe it was having to leave Qingdao tomorrow, or his boyfriend’s words, but he could feel his eyes watering. He looked down at his lap so Zitao couldn’t see.

“Baby, are you crying?” Zitao lifted Sehun’s chin to look at him. “You’re so cute.” He pulled Sehun to his chest and held him close. “These few days have been the best days of my life.” He held Sehun at arm’s length and sterly looked at him. “Tomorrow won’t be goodbye, it will be a ‘see you later’, okay?”

Sehun leaned his forehead on Zitao’s shoulder and wrapped his arms around his waist.

“Don’t be sad,” Zitao cooed, “We have so many more memories to make together.”

Sehun laughed into the fabric of Zitao’s shirt. “Wasn’t I the one that was supposed to be comforting you?” He sniffled.

“Trust me, I’ll be a mess tomorrow morning.” Zitao chuckled. “Let’s go to bed, so we can get breakfast tomorrow before you leave.”

“Okay.” Sehun lifted his head up and the two got comfortable under the thick comforter. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

…

Sehun and Zitao got up early to have breakfast as Zitao suggested and then headed to the airport. He couldn’t help but insist on walking Sehun to the terminal to spend as much time as possible with him.

Unfortunately, the time came and Sehun had to part ways with Zitao.

As promised, Zitao allowed his emotions to flow, as well as his tears. He embraced Sehun tightly.

“Have a safe flight, okay? I know you’re still here, but I miss you already.” Zitao carded his fingers through the hair on the back of Sehun’s head.

“I’ll let you know when I get home.” Sehun rubbed Zitao’s back. “Thank you for everything.”

Zitao held Sehun’s hands and offered him a sad smile. “Thank you for coming. Kandy and I will keep the place tidy for the next time you come here.”

Sehun grinned. “Sounds good.”

A voice came over the intercom announcing the flight times and boarding, causing the two to glance sadly at each other.

“I guess I should go.” Sehun said.

“I’ll see you later.” Zitao pulled Sehun into one more tight squeeze before separating himself to plant a chaste kiss on his boyfriend’s lips.

“I’ll see you later. I love you.” Sehun reluctanty let go of Zitao and adjusted his backpack strap on his shoulder before taking his boarding pass out of his pocket.

“I love you too.” Zitao held himself back from embracing Sehun again.

Sehun walked a few feet from Zitao before turning and facing Zitao. “Remember what I said.” Sehun started. “You have a heart of gold and don’t let anyone treat you otherwise.”

Zitao stopped resisting and ran toward Sehun to envelop him into a tight embrace. Instead, he tripped on the carpet of the airport floor and sent them both tumbling to the ground.

“I’m getting a weird sense of déjà vu.” Sehun threw his head back and laughed.

“Well, at least I’ll be able to remember this moment now.” Zitao looked down at his hand and laughed. “My thumb may or may not be broken.”

Sehun hid his face in his hands as he chuckled. “You’re so clumsy.”

“But you love me anyway.” Zitao grinned.

“Always.”

 

EPILOGUE

SIX MONTHS LATER

Two years. Sehun and Zitao had known each other for two years, dating for a year and a day. A year, a day, and seventeen hours if you asked Sehun.

It had been hard to see each other since they met up in Qingdao. Zitao’s music had skyrocketed, sending him to travel to the United States with Yifan and temporarily to Japan. They were able to see each other briefly in the Incheon airport three months ago when Zitao made a pit stop there.

Zitao’s busy schedule didn’t stop them from talking as much as they could. Their relationship was as strong as ever. Despite the distance, they made it work. Ironically enough, Chanyeol and Baekhyun had moved to Jiaozhou together, as Chanyeol landed a job as a teacher in the city. Jongdae fell in love with long-time friend and vocal coach, Minseok, and the two were set to move in together by the fall.

Zitao’s cousin, Yuta, became a successful trainee, thriving under Junmyeon and Minseok’s wings. He had spent a lot of time with Sehun, even staying with him for a little bit after Chanyeol and Baekhyun moved. Whenever Yuta would visit home, he would come back with something for Sehun that Zitao got him.

Sehun missed living with one of his best friends and, since Jongdae was rarely home, he spent most of his time with Vivi. Not that it was a problem for him, by any means.

Still, he looked forward to his video calls with Zitao, loving when his boyfriend’s melodic voice filled the room. They were scheduled to have a video chat the minute Zitao got back to his place.

Sehun turned on the light in his bathroom and ran his fingers through his hair. His raven-colored locks now had deep purple highlights, as requested by Zitao. He was supposed to call any second and Sehun may or may not have accidentally taken a two-hour nap, so he needed to try and look decent.

Once he deemed himself presentable, he flipped off the lightswitch and went back to his room. Vivi was patiently waiting for him on his bed, tail wagging in glee when Sehun appeared through the doorframe.

Suddenly, the ringtone he had set for Zitao filled the room. Coincidentally, it was a song written by Zitao’s cousin’s rookie group. _Sun and Moon_ was one of their hit songs that sparked their success, earning them fans across the world.

Sehun excitedly clicked the answer button and beamed when he saw his boyfriend’s face on his screen. Zitao’s now deep blue hair was neatly touseled to the side, accentuating his sharp features.

“Hey there.” Zitao grinned into the camera. “Good news.”

“Hi to you too.” Sehun said. He reached to the mattress to pick up Vivi and put him in the frame. “What’s the good news?” Sehun asked after kissing the top of his dog’s head.

“You know how I just finished all of the promotion and everything for my work? Well, I didn’t tell you that I’m doing that full-time now, since traveling didn’t work with my other job. Anyway, the reason I mentioned that is because I’m free now. No more promotions, no more traveling, no more long nights in the studio.” Zitao clapped his hands together in delight.

“That’s great!” Sehun exclaimed. “I’m happy for you.”

“Me too.” Zitao said. He glanced off screen and mouthed something to someone in the room with him. “Sorry.” Zitao looked back at the screen. “I have a couple of idiots over who won’t stop talking.”

“Hey!” Lu Han’s voice said from out of view. “Sehun loves us, don’t you Hunnie?”

Zitao rolled his eyes in the direction where Lu Han’s voice was coming from. Yifan came into view from the kitchen behind Zitao and waved. Sehun waved back to the tall male before focusing back on his boyfriend.

“How is work going, babe?” Zitao asked, smiling into the camera.

Sehun sighed. He got an internship with a music company, but things weren’t what he was expecting. The internship was paid, but only enough just to get by. His boss also dismissed Sehun’s talents and made him file documents instead.

Sehun waved his hand from side-to-side. “So-so.” He said. “I wouldn’t be mad if I found a better opportunity, though.” Sehun sighed and leaned back in his chair. “There’s no point being negative about it. How are you going to spend your free time now?”

“Well,” Zitao devilishly grinned into the camera, “What would you think about meeting?”

Sehun smiled. “This is starting to sound a little bit familiar.”

“It does until I say the next part.” Zitao cracked his knuckles. Sehun could hear him tapping his foot, seemingly nervous.

“Go on…” Sehun encouraged the other to finish.

“What would you think about coming here? For a little longer than last time. Say, moving here perhaps?” Zitao bit his bottom lip in anticipation.

“Moving there?” Sehun questioned. “I’ve thought about it, actually. I don’t have too much here, now Jongdae is occupied with Minseok and Chanyeol and Baekhyun are gone. It would be hard, though. I have a job here and I can’t move there without a visa of some sort.”

“Baby,” Zitao brought his knees up to his chest, nearly falling over on the couch, “You’re a Music Composition major and an amazing dancer on top of that. I have my own company and it’s growing rapidly. I need more people.” He said. “Am I dropping enough clues, or do I need to directly ask you if you want to work at my company?”

Sehun was a bit taken back. He would love nothing more than to be in Qingdao with Zitao.

“And don’t ask where you will live, because your home is with me. Kandy can’t wait to meet Vivi. I’ve thought about this for a long time, Sehun. What do you say?”

Sehun furrowed his brow. “This is all so sudden, Tao. I don’t know…”

A flash of hurt was evident in Zitao’s expression. “Oh, I get it. Sorry for bringing it u-“

“I’m definitely kidding.” Sehun gave a toothy grin. “Of course, I’d love to be with you.”

Zitao put a hand up to his chest. “You scared me!” He laughed. “I can’t wait to have you with me forever.”

“Gross!” Lu Han said from outside of the frame.

“Get a room!” Yixing chimed in.

Zitao rolled his eyes for the nth time but smiled to Sehun. “So, that’s a yes?”

“Of course.” Sehun nodded. “I’ll have to get everything packed and figure out the process, but I would love to.”

“I’m so excited.” Zitao stood up and walked toward the living room, phone in hand. He sat on the couch next to Jongin and Kyungsoo. The two waved at the camera before immersing in a conversation with someone out of the frame, presumably Yifan. “Hey, we’re all going to go to the store and pick up some new amplifiers. I’ll text you later and we will figure everything out.”

“Sounds good. Don’t hurt your finger lifting the amplifier.” Sehun winked at Zitao.

“You’re a jerk, but I still love you.” Zitao glared at Sehun playfully.

“I love you too.” Sehun waved at the camera. “Bye!”

Zitao ended the call and pocketed his phone. He glanced to his group of friends and put his hands on his hips.

“So, you’re not going to tell him about the proposal?” Baekhyun asked from the other couch.

“No.” Zitao shook his head. “He still doesn’t know that we all already know each other, let alone that I want to marry him.”

“Pretty sure he’d say yes if you brought it up.” Chanyeol relaxed further into the couch cushions.

“Only time will tell.” Zitao assured himself.

TWO MONTHS LATER

“Lu Han text me saying they just got here. I feel like a dick pretending that I was too busy to pick him up.” Zitao paced in his living room.

“Oh, stop.” Yixing stopped Zitao by the shoulder. “You have a good reason.” He nodded to the velvet box on the island table.

“No kidding. He’s going to pass out when he sees all of us, let alone the ring.” Chanyeol laughed.

“I volunteer for not picking his body up from the ground.” Kyungsoo raised his hand. “I thought the whole, ‘Surprise and welcome to China after not seeing me for months, but also here is a wedding proposal all at once, so please don’t die or pass out’ thing was a bad idea.”

“Don’t ruin the mood.” Yifan went behind the couch Kyungsoo was sitting on and pat the top of his head. “You know Zitao has to do the most extra thing possible.”

“I wonder how Vivi tolerated the ride here.” Jongin questioned.

“You’re thinking about the dog?” Yixing quirked a brow. “Actually, I respect that.”

“I’ve been deprived of Vivi for too long.” Chanyeol crossed his arms.

“And I’ve been deprived of my boyfriend for too long, but here we ar-“ Zitao was cut off by the doorbell ringing, “Oh shit.”

“Well,” Yixing clasped his shoulders once more, “Here’s the moment you have been waiting for.”

Zitao slowly nodded and made his way to the door.

“Wait,” Yifan called out, trailing behind Zitao with the navy velvet box, “Forgot this, lover boy.”

“Thanks.” Zitao sheepishly smiled. “Here goes nothing.”

 

     

 

 


End file.
